Have you seen the price of train tickets? No wonder the roads are so full. I had the notion in my mind that public transport was there so that the masses could have access to low cost transport. I thought that by sharing the journey with people I didn’t know it would mean that the costs would be shared and the price would be ultimately lower.
Having just bought a ticket from Newcastle to Manchester I need to question my supposition.
Here’s my issue. By car the journey from Newcastle Central Station to Manchester Piccadilly Station is 143 miles. Even allowing for traffic and stops this should not be more than a three hour drive which, give or take fifteen minutes is around the same time that it will take you by train.
According to the AA, the cost of driving my car is 34 pence per mile (33.83 to be precise) and so the trip from one city to another would be £48.62 with only one person in the car. Compare this to the cost of the anytime day single which is £60.80 (or 42.52 pence per mile). Going by train is 25% more expensive than driving and of course if you can fill the car with passengers then the cost can reduce significantly.
You can get cheaper tickets if you are lucky. Recently I managed to get one for £27 but this would still be more expensive than driving if there were two of you in the car. (I haven’t taken the driver’s labour costs into the equation and this may be a consideration if the journey is for work.)
So using public transport in this instance is neither quicker nor cheaper. Yes there is a degree of convenience in that you can read a book or do some work or even look out of the window but this is offset by the inconvenience that the train does not take you from where you are to where you want to be. It is not a door to door service unlike the car nor does it leave when you want it to.
I do like to travel by train but more often than not they are packed so there is clearly a demand which does not seem to be dampened by the cost. Yet they are expensive when compared to the car and this should not be the case. The inconvenience and bulk purchasing power of public transport should be offset by lower costs.
Perhaps cars are too cheap?
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 