I have been put on placement in a place that is 8m from my home. I wanted to try and get public transport rather than drive. My nearest train station is a 5 minute walk from my house. The nearest bus stop is over the road from it.
There are three buses (at a variety of stops) that I can get and one train. They all come at half past the hour. Train is quickest. Bus would also work but be a bit longer. I would need to get the train one stop and change for another train. The total cost of a return trip for this journey would cost me £13 per day. To get to work on time at 8am I would need to get the 6.35 train to go one stop, then wait at the next station for 50 minutes, then get another train for 10 minutes. Total ride time about 15 minutes. Total journey time 1 and half hours.
If I compare this to the journey I used to do when I lived in France; it was roughly the same distance. I would need to get two buses and one tram. Or two trams and one bus depending on route and time of day. I could buy a ‘book of tickets’ that had 10 tickets. Each ticket would let you get on any bus or tram for up to one hour from the time you stamped your card.
The cards are now €17,50. But that’s still €1,75 for an hour of travel or €3,50 for a return per days. My total ride time was longer but I used to leave my house after 8 and get there for 9. It just strikes me as so odd that public transport in other countries is just so much more efficient and cost effective than here. Why is that the way?