Cyclone Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Does anyone else find the adverts on the back of buses about the marketing stereotypes that may or may not be on it really irritating? You know the ones. Gavin loves crosswords. He's just got to get 7 across and he'll have finished the one in today's paper. Gavin is on this bus. Why aren't you? Shobna is worrying about whether her top matches her skirt. At least she isn't worrying about where to park. Shobna is on this bus. Why aren't you? That sort of thing. There used to be one about old ladies chatting, to which the obvious answer is that Edna jabbering on about the price of fish and taking forever to find her purse - inevitably at the bottom of her shopping-bag-on-wheels - is part of the reason I'm not on the bus. I don't see that one very often anymore though, I guess the focus groups said the same. Anyway - is it just me that is annoyed by them? The message seems to be 'you've not even considered the bus as an option, you idiot. Justify yourself.' The answers to the question, if anyone from the bus company is reading, and actually wants an answer are: 1) it's cheaper to go in the car 2) it's quicker to go in the car 3) it's more convenient to go in the car 4) most of your drivers are not, shall we say, 'customer focussed' Address some or all of those problems, and I'll gladly join the gossiping old ladies, the crossword obsessed single men and the vain young women on the bus. I find myself saying "the bus isn't going where I want to go". I generally see the advert as I'm walking down to the tram stop anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Why is it cheaper to go by car, when you might have to pay for parking? Might have to? Most of know whether or not we will have to pay for parking before setting off. And also on Stagecoach you can buy what is called a Day Rider for £3.20 for the entire day. I used this the other week to travel to Dronfield from Sheffield and back and then to Woodhouse and back - all for £3.20. The mileage was something like 30 miles. In a car that would cost you nearer to £6.00. Only if you drive a Humvee or Ferrari. In a more normal car it would cost about £3.00 and be about 10 times quicker. Time is money! And with a ticket like the Day Rider and others like it, you can travel on as many buses as you like in a day all for as little as £3.20. You meet people instead of being "locked" in your own little ant-social world like millions of other drivers too. Meet people you generally didn't want to meet, brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Six Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 It would probably still be a close thing... costs would have to come back to 5p per ride (or was that an urban myth) to get me to choose the bus over car. I have to walk to get the bus - the car is in my drive. I have to wait for the bus as it runs to a timetable. I have to walk to work at the other end - I have a car parking space at my office, so straight in in the car. It costs more - as you rightly point out. It is full of other people that I don't know, or don't like the look, sight, sound, smell of. I can listen to my loud music in the car, without annoying anyone else. I can make and take phone calls in the car, without annoying anyone else. The bus might be full when I get on, it certainly will be at the town end. The bus doesn't have heated seats... which I like very much. The bus is inconvenient when I'm transporting things, other than a bag - even with my rucksack I have to sit there, with it on my lap. Gee, I sound so superior - I'm not meaning to, I'm just listing things that help my decision to get in the car. Taking all these things into consideration, I think the bus is actually a specialised mode of transport only suitable for certain people... We only have on car, so there would be a utility to my partner if I took the bus, which would tilt the playing field in it's favour. I refuse to pay more for a service that is in all ways inferior. I'll accept an inferior option if the reduction in quality is matched by a reduction in cost. Heated seats - the only time I've used them it took me straight back to 'having an accident' as a kid - a very strange sensation. Of course on buses you can easily make the mistake of sitting in the warmth of someone's 'accident' so you won't necessarily lose that . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrod Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I would have thought the bus is cheaper. I can get a £9 per week ticket to take me from home in to town and back. Compare that with using a car: Cost of car. Cost of car insurance. Cost of road tax. Cost of mot. Cost of mot repairs, other repairs, general maintenance. Cost to park. Cost of fuel. I imagine the fuel alone, on 5 trips to town and back, would equate to around the cost of a weekly bus ticket. That's before we factor in all the other expenses. It all depends on what car, and how many miles you do a year. If you don't have an expensive car that's depreciating a lot, it can easily be cheaper than the bus. Annual ownership cost of 30p per mile is a good starting pont (it can be less) for an economical car. If my journey to work is a return trip of 8 miles, 5 days per week, the cost in the car would be about £12. I believe that the weekly bus pass for where we live would be £16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 The best advert I saw in the back of a bus from the warmth and comfort if tinfoilhat mobile was "welcome to paradise". I kid you not. I shiney family jumping on a bus to visit somewhere nice encapsulated as " welcome to paradise". I was that gobsmacked I nearly took a picture of it. I think it was in car hating Oxford, but paradise on a bus ? Unless the conductress was offering extras - no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Total - £3.71 - 29p less than getting the bus. Of course the only marginal costs are the servicing and fuel, so it's not a true comparison - I'd pay tax, insurance, MOT and depreciation if the car was parked up at home and I used the bus, so in reality it's even cheaper. And I can use the car for other things, like going on holiday, travelling to places nor served by public transport, moving large items, giving people lifts and going on an emergency run to visit ill relatives in the middle of the night. That bus looks even more expensive now? Are you contrasting, either: A. Cost of bus travel, vs, Cost of travel by car (incl. associated costs). or B. Cost of bus travel and keeping a car on your drive, vs, cost of travel by car (incl. associated costs). I'm looking at A, but seems you're looking at B. Did you know, you can get a weekly ticket for £10.50 (£1.50 per day), that allows you to travel all over Sheffield, for one week? Perhaps cheaper than what you pay to keep your car for one week? Of course, I'm not disputing there are a number of advantages to travel by car; but for just one person travelling, I'm convinced in most cases, bus is cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sedith Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 All these people that are travelling on the bus aren't on the 120 from Crystal Peaks! Every five minutes two arrive with nobody on them, transporting fresh air into the city centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 It all depends on what car, and how many miles you do a year. If you don't have an expensive car that's depreciating a lot, it can easily be cheaper than the bus. Annual ownership cost of 30p per mile is a good starting pont (it can be less) for an economical car. Would depend on number of miles you drive per year. If you only do 10 miles a year, imagine costs will be way more than £3. If my journey to work is a return trip of 8 miles, 5 days per week, the cost in the car would be about £12. I believe that the weekly bus pass for where we live would be £16. Sure, and if you're carrying passangers, it makes travel by car even better. There are bound to be cases where it is more economical to had a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Six Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Are you contrasting, either: A. Cost of bus travel, vs, Cost of travel by car (incl. associated costs). or B. Cost of bus travel and keeping a car on your drive, vs, cost of travel by car (incl. associated costs). I'm looking at A, but seems you're looking at B. Did you know, you can get a weekly ticket for £10.50 (£1.50 per day), that allows you to travel all over Sheffield, for one week? Perhaps cheaper than what you pay to keep your car for one week? Of course, I'm not disputing there are a number of advantages to travel by car; but for just one person travelling, I'm convinced in most cases, bus is cheaper. You obviously haven't read my posts if you are convinced the bus is cheaper. For me the car is cheaper even if you include all the fixed costs and if I only used it for commuting. My point was that the fixed costs cover the ownership of the car, which I use for other things, so shouldn't really be all divided across just my commute - however, even if you do that, the car is still cheaper. As I have said before, I only work 3 to 4 days a week (or I only need to travel then, at least) so a £10.50 ticket is not a saver for me - and I think it isn't on offer from the bus company I'd need to use, from memory, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe9T Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Taking all these things into consideration, I think the bus is actually a specialised mode of transport only suitable for certain people... Yes the sensible and generally healthier person. Benefits of public transport:- 1) Most buses are every 5 to 10 mins, so never much time having to wait. 2) Stress free travel, as the driver takes all the stress to get you from A to B. 3) Generally healthier, as you walk more than using the car. 4) You experience more of the world and people and are more likely to be sociable with others, than stuck in a anti-social bubble all stressed up and road rage angry. 5) No parking charges to worry about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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