Car vs Public Transport

[Moonhawk]

As the government seem to be keen to get us all out of our cars and on to public transport - I was thinking about how I might go about getting to work using it. I found this website that can plan a journey using public transport so out of interest I put in details of my current job (and old one since I have recently changed). Makes interesting reading.

http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2/JourneyPlanni...

The website returns 5 options (the last being the car). The data is as follows

Option, Method of Transport, Number of changes, Leave time, Arrive Time, Journey Duration.

Current job

Outbound Journey
1 Bus, Train, Walk 2 06:26 08:42 2hours, 16 mins
2 Bus, Walk 2 07:06 09:16 2hours, 10 mins
3 Bus, Walk 2 07:30 09:42 2hours, 12 mins
4 Bus, Walk 1 07:55 10:02 2hours, 07 mins
5 Car 0 05:00 05:41 41 mins / 25.1miles

Homeward Journey
1 Bus, Train, Walk 2 17:15 19:24 2hours, 09 mins
2 Bus, Walk 2 17:42 19:46 2hours, 04 mins
3 Bus, Train, Walk 2 18:17 20:24 2hours, 07 mins
4 Bus, Train, Walk 2 19:24 21:27 2hours, 03 mins
5 Car 0 17:00 17:57 57 mins / 25.6miles

To get into work at my current job within the core hours - I would have to leave at 6:26am and wouldnt get home till about 7:30pm (assuming I make all the connections).

Old job.

Outbound Journey
1 Bus, Train, Walk 5 07:50 09:56 2hours, 06 mins
2 Bus, Walk 3 07:21 10:00 2hours, 39 mins
3 Bus, Train, Walk 3 08:32 11:04 2hours, 32 mins
4 Bus, Train, Walk 3 09:22 11:33 2hours, 11 mins
5 Car 0 05:00 05:37 37 mins / 21.4miles

Homeward Journey
1 Bus, Train, Walk 3 04:17(06/08) 07:06(06/08) 2hours, 49 mins
2 Bus, Walk 3 03:17(06/08) 07:06(06/08) 3hours, 49 mins
3 Bus, Train, Walk 3 05:15(06/08) 07:38(06/08) 2hours, 23 mins
4 Bus, Train, Walk 2 05:55(06/08) 07:54(06/08) 1hour, 59 mins
5 Car 0 18:00 18:48 48 mins / 21.4miles

The earliest I could have gotten into work using public transport was 9:56am - with 5 changes! This would mean I couldnt leave work until at least 6pm. I put in my leave time as 6pm on the homeward journey - and it returned the data above - note the dates - basically I would not have been able to get home on the same day using public transport!!

What results do you get?

[Neil_H]

Option Transport Changes Leave Arrive Duration Select
1 Train, Underground, Walk 2 08:01 08:48 47 mins
2 Train, Underground, Walk 1 08:05 08:50 45 mins
3 Train, Underground, Walk 1 08:09 08:52 43 mins
4 Train, Underground, Walk 1 08:15 08:59 44 mins
5 Car 0 08:00 08:57 57 mins / 11.7miles


Return journeys for Tue 05 Aug 08 leaving after 19:00 Outward journeys
Option Transport Changes Leave Arrive Duration Select
1 Train, Underground, Walk 1 19:02 19:45 43 mins
2 Train, Underground, Walk 1 19:08 19:49 41 mins
3 Train, Underground, Walk 1 19:15 19:58 43 mins
4 Train, Underground, Walk 1 19:24 20:06 42 mins
5 Car 0 19:00 19:52 52 mins / 11.6miles

[Chris944_S2]

I have to leave the night before at 21.41pm if I want to use public transport as I need to be at work by 7am...

Bus, Walk 0 21:41
(04/08) 22:00
(04/08) 19 mins
Bus, Walk 0 21:28
(04/08) 21:59
(04/08) 31 mins

[Chassis 33]

My Sunday evening commute over to work for the week

1 Walk, Bus, Train, Walk 4hours, 44 mins
2 Walk, Bus, Train, Walk 4hours, 44 mins
3 Walk, Bus, Coach, Train, Walk 6hours, 23 mins arriving next day
4 Walk, Bus, Coach, Train, Walk 9hours, 08 mins arriving next day
5 Car 0 17:05 18:59 1hour, 54 mins / 74.2miles

Actually its more like 1 1/2hrs by car, they only have the train bit to give me a price for, and that's double what I use in fuel. Then the daily run, I need to get the last bus of the night, and sleep on the doorstep at work in order to get to work for 0645. No thanks chaps, I'll keep my car.


Tried the site a while back, being facetious when I worked about 3miles from home, and they wanted me to walk to the bus stop (2miles), catch a bus that went passed where i worked but didn't stop for another 1 1/2miles, then walk back from the bus stop to work. Again, no ta.
Regards
Iain

[sniff petrol]

Why do people go nuts when the railway and underground go on strike then if no one uses them?

[oyster]

Using that site for my route suggests that the walk to my local station takes 15 minutes when in fact I can make it easily in 8 or stroll it in 10 minutes.

Sorry but who walks at 1.5 mph???

[Neil_H]

oyster said:

Using that site for my route suggests that the walk to my local station takes 15 minutes when in fact I can make it easily in 8 or stroll it in 10 minutes.

Sorry but who walks at 1.5 mph???

Women/ fat people.

[cj_eds]

Saw this website a while ago as well, it reckoned a commute by car of 42 minutes, and 1hr 30 by walking/bus. Had some spare time so typed in some other options like travelling to see family etc. Without fail the car option won.

[Accelebrate]

Option Transport Changes Leave Arrive Duration
1 Bus, Train, Walk 3 18:12 20:55 2hours, 43 mins
2 Bus, Train, Walk 2 18:16 21:19 3hours, 03 mins
3 Bus, Coach, Train, Walk 3 05:12
(09/08) 15:32
(09/08) 10hours, 20 mins
4 Car 0 18:00 20:13 2hours, 13 mins / 91.8miles

That's for the journey I do every week by car, I'm not quite sure how they decided it would take 2hrs 13mins by, it's usually 90minutes max usually more like 80.

[Moonhawk]

Hmm - looking at the returns so far - the car looks like its faster by a factor of around two in most cases.

[bob1179]

To travel the 8 miles to work in the morning:

1 Bus, Train, Walk 2 07:05 08:49 1hour, 44 mins
2 Bus, Walk 1 07:55 09:24 1hour, 29 mins
3 Bus, Walk 1 09:25 10:24 59 mins
4 Bus, Walk 1 10:40 11:24 44 mins
5 Car 0 07:00 07:23 23 mins / 8.1miles

To go home again:

1 Bus, Walk 1 18:19 19:20 1hour, 01min
2 Bus, Walk 2 18:22 20:25 2hours, 03 mins
3 Bus, Walk 1 20:25 21:20 55 mins
4 Bus, Walk 1 21:25 23:15 1hour, 50 mins
5 Car 0 18:00 18:24 24 mins / 8.1miles

It only takes me 15 mins either way by car...

[Zod]

I live in London. It admits that car is the quickest way for me.

[Killer2005]

1 Bus, Walk 0 07:31 08:23 52 mins
2 Bus, Train, Walk 1 07:33 08:32 59 mins
3 Bus, Walk 0 07:57 08:38 41 mins
4 Bus, Walk 0 08:01 08:53 52 mins
5 Car 0 07:30 07:55 25 mins / 7.4miles

Also bus would be just shy of £20 a week, which is less than the car for petrol. And in the car I arrive to work on time rather than just whenever the bus driver fancies it.