Transport- what a cost

It seems an age since we got back from holiday, but life has been rather busy these last three weeks. However, I couldn’t help smile when I read last week that a walk in train ticket from Newquay in Cornwall to Kyle of Lochalsh is now £1002. Hardly a price to encourage anyone to take the train. It would also take you just over 25 hours to get there. You can see why people choose to find alternative ways of travel. Oh, I did forget that this was for a first class ticket. So a quick web search throws up a price of £456 for an open second class return and £244 for an off peak return. It also takes 28 hours. Not that anybody would just take the train to Lochalsh, there would be an onward journey say to Skye or up to Ullapool.

The Kyle is not an easy place to get to easily by public transport so I thought that I would look at another fairly long journey from Bristol to Inverness. So what are the options? You could fly to Inverness (Flying easy jet from Bristol to Inverness will set you back as little as £30 but can be over £250 dependant on when you fly but takes only 90 minutes), drive (529 miles and just over 9 hours) or you could opt for a bus to get to Inverness from Bristol (15 hours), you still have to find £72. There seems to be little logic in our approach to public transport in the UK. The train will take 10 hours and cost you £160.

Time and Cost

Bus 15 hours £72pp

Plane 90 minutes £30 - £250pp

Train 10 hours £160pp

Car 9 hours £65





When you consider that by flying you have to get to and from the airport, you could allow an extra 3 hours, so the total time jumps up to 4 and ½ hours. This still is better timing than the bus or train, but think about the Green House Gases and the impact on the environment. The prices and times are such that there is little encouragement to leave the car behind, especially if there are several of you travelling.



However on the environmental side the big bus companies have come together to promote bus travel to save the environment. The campaign is to encourage people to get out of their cars and onto buses and coaches; a quick and cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions. It is called the “One billion challenge”

Switching from car to bus or coach for just one journey in 25 could save 2 million tonnes of CO2…



• That would mean one billion fewer car journeys on our roads …

• 50% more CO2 savings from transport than planned by the Government

• And it could be achieved in just three years if everyone played their part

If they reach their goal, there will be a reduction of 2 million tonnes of CO2, which would deliver an additional 50% reduction in CO2 from domestic transport to that anticipated over the same period by current Government policies. These measures would see both existing and new passengers attracted by added comfort, reliability and convenience, choosing to travel more often by bus or coach instead of car.



To succeed in the ONE BILLION Challenge, all they need is for car drivers to make one in 25 journeys previously made by car by bus instead. Here are some small changes that can make a big impact:

• Make just one extra commute by bus or coach a month

• Three out of every 100 parents letting their children travel to school by bus

• Every couple of months taking the bus to the town centre to do the shopping instead of the car

• Instead of driving to the bank, the doctor or the hairdresser, just take the bus

• Do one leisure trip per month by bus or coach – such as taking the bus to the cinema, for a day out, or to visit friends



So good luck to them I will do my bit. But what about the government putting subsidies into bus and coach travel to encourage more of us to get on board.

I wonder how many world leaders will use public transport to the Copenhagen?

Chris
Future Directions