Forum Topic

What incentives are there to use public transport to work?

Philippa Bond ● 6151d11 Comments

I think more people are time-poor rather than cash-poor.Now that both parents tend to work cars are used to transport children more - often in different directions.A more joined-up transport system and the wonderful (yes wonderful because it is a wonderful step forward) www.tfl.gov.uk helps tremendously and so would a more bespoke service like the one Chiswickw4 forum posters were offering!Safe cycle routes (some sadly just appear to have been plonked onto roads) together with cycle training will make it easier for parents to allow their older children to cycle to school.  Good communication between schools and parents will also help this.  You do need to know quickly if your child has not turned up at school!There were and still are some great rides planned until October according to the goskyride site - so if you're not ready for this Sunday's big Hounslow one - take a look at the map for some more ideas.  Click on the link for the ride and you'll find out more about it including what level it has been designated.

Philippa Bond ● 6139d

Disincentives to use private transport must be coming - but no-one will want to talk about them before the next election.Road pricing / congestion charging in some form will be widely around by 2020 (how is Boris going to solve London air pollution ?).And for interest, TfL journeyplanner does Brentford station to Feltham station in 39 minutes by push-bike (which beats the 90 minute bus option).

Tim Henderson ● 6146d

Using the train, apart from being more expensive, would have involved a much longer walk (or a couple of bus journeys) at the other end, so the saving in time would have been minimal. Using the car was a much more sensible option - especially when I gave lifts to two or three colleagues, saving them from having to waste time on public transport.

Mick Brent ● 6146d

There is a direct train between Brentford and Feltham that takes 13 minutes, so I'd question 90 minutes on public transport unless you were going from very out of the way places at each end.I used to commute from West London to Bromley via tube, train and bus and clocked it under an hour on numerous occasions, and that's the far side of the city, so it's hard to understand why it would take 50% longer than that to go four stops down the line from Brentford.

Thomas Barry ● 6146d

I agree, i travel a long way from home to work and i did use public transport to test out what is was like (as would be cheaper) but it took over 2 hours with two long very crowed bus journeys and that was each way. One bus was so bad that if it was too crowded at the front they would let others on through the back doors, also the drivers would sometimes be going so fast in their own world they would miss peoples stops both on and those off the bus wanting to get on. So i changed my hours and now drive which takes a max of 45 mins in heavy traffic.

Tracy Burke ● 6146d

As Philippa said, "cheaper isn't everything!" and in any case, public transport isn't necessarily cheaper. Before I took early retirement (Oh blessed day!) I travelled from Brentford to Feltham each day by car. Unless traffic was particularly bad, this journey took me 20 minutes each way. On the rare occasions when I didn't have a car (MOT time etc), the journey either involved 3 different buses, or two one mile walks at either end of the major bus journey. I always walked as the wait for buses was too painful to endure and just took the one bus from Somerfields to Feltham. This journey by public transport would take me at least 90 minutes each way. Three hours a day walking/travelling in a crowded bus or 40 minutes in comfort? There really was no argument.

Mick Brent ● 6146d

Just as an example, my family never owned a car and we coped just fine, before we has a semblance of the public transport system we have today.

Colin Murphy ● 6146d

But cheaper isn't everything as I keep telling those salespeople who phone up who think it is the only thing that you consider in making a decision.  It is a quality of service that is wanted.With both parents working one parent tends to deliver or collect from nursery on the way to or from the office for quite a few years.

Philippa Bond ● 6146d

Yes, all of the above being cheaper than the cost of driving to work.

Colin Murphy ● 6146d

The company car perks were taken away.  There is a scheme where your employer can help you buy a bike but anything else to actively encourage people to make the change?  Untaxed Oysters?  Railcards?

Philippa Bond ● 6146d

to keep out of the rain? ;0)

Ian Roberts ● 6150d