For Londoner's Review Please

[R. Richard]

Bloke walks into an Eastend pub, orders a pint and starts in, "Four bloody quid to ride the Underground in 2007, mates! The bloody government is trying to tax the workingman to the poor house! Two bloody quid to ride the damn bus! I'm going to 'ave some words with my bloody MP. 'It 'im in the hampsteads I will! Bloody 'ighway robbery it is. I'm well up for some aggro." Comments?

London transport fares surge again for 2007

LONDON (AFP) - As usual for the first day back at work in the new year, London commuters were groaning about fare rises on what is already one of the world's busiest and most expensive public transport systems.

The price of a single Underground train journey in the city centre rose by a third to four pounds (eight dollars, six euros), while bus tickets rose by the same fraction to two pounds.

The tariffs are designed to encourage commuters to switch to the "Oyster" electronic smart card, where fares have been frozen at 1.50 pounds on the Tube and one pound on the bus, though off-peak bus fares rise 20 pence to one pound.

Tourists are likely to be hit hard by the measures as many are unlikely to have signed up for an Oyster card.

In Paris, the cheapest ticket costs 1.40 euros, in Tokyo it is just over one euro and in New York it costs two dollars.

"The headlines about big cash fare increases today show that the savings are now to be found on Oyster with many Oyster fares now half the cost of the cash alternative," said London Mayor Ken Livingstone.

London's mainline rail commuters faced average price rises of 4.3 percent, which is above the July inflation rate of three percent -- the date and level set by the government for calculating the price hikes.

Christian Wolmar, a commentator for London's Evening Standard newspaper, wrote: "The move towards Oyster may be sensible, but it should not be used as a heavy tax on tourists.

"Our transport system is the lifeblood of the capital, on which depends the whole British economy. Fleecing commuters rather than investing properly isn't just wrong-headed and unfair. It's counter-productive."

Katherine Burr, a sales executive from Sevenoaks, south of London, told the newspaper: "It really ticks me off to pay more money but what can you do?

"The train service was really bad towards the end of last year. The connections never add up, services are breaking down and then they charge more money."

Commenting on the rail fares, Chris Grayling, the main opposition Conservatives' transport spokesman, said: "This is further evidence that high fares are a deliberate part of government strategy to tackle overcrowding on trains.

"We can't expect people to leave their cars at home if they are being priced off the railways."

 

[Guest]

fuck!

 

[Fallenfromgrace]

Fem, didnt you know how much it had increased?

I think its fucking ridiculous! It takes me a bus a train an d a tube just to get to uni every day! and the same back! Fair play i am a student and (was) only pay(ing) £85 for my 1 month 1-4 travel card, (1/3 off the normal price for an adult) i still make journey's sparodically when i dont need a whole month's travel card- eg over the month long xmas hols when i'll only spend on average 3 days at uni if at all. I'm going tomorrow, and im dreading the cost. fuckers. seriously. My fares arent cheaper if im using pre-pay which is what i have to do for day journeys.

I really think its fucking ridiculous.

They want people to leave their cars at home, but they up the price of travel- then the service doesnt get any better. As someone who has to travel just to get to a northern line station to take it most the way to north london, its a fucking joke. The northern line is the busiest line on the network and its overcrowded as fuck as well-- being the only line that serves the far south and far north.

This increase in travel costs, AND the proposed changes to driving tests are enugh to make any young person especially, grow to hate the gov. I've failed
my driving test more times than i care to say, not coz its hard but coz im nervous. If the changes come in soon then im screwed coz im a nervous wreck enough on a test as it is. I dont understand politics at all, and i just hate it more and more day by day when fuckers like mayor livingstone do shit like this. Dont get my started on the exchequer.

As if im not a poor student already having to pay shit amounts coz the gov wont help my family coz my parents earn over a certain amount. PShhhhtt...just coz a person earms over a certain amount doesnt make them neccesarily able to afford these things.

I wanted to go on but i think im digressing.

i just wanted to express my LOATHE.

 

[R. Richard]

The gov are right berks, I say!

 

[Just-Legal]

London Bus Fares are cheaper than Yorkshire ones.

WHAT.
THE.
FUCK.

I'm just gonna stay home.

 

[R. Richard]

Has anyone thought of a rent-a-bicycle operation in London and/or the UK? Rent the bikes at the edge in the morning and have themn turned back in at the edge at night, mostly by the same people who rented them in the morning?

 

[Just-Legal]

Has anyone thought of a rent-a-bicycle operation in London and/or the UK? Rent the bikes at the edge in the morning and have themn turned back in at the edge at night, mostly by the same people who rented them in the morning?

They do that currently in Cambridge. Unfortunately there are some issues with them being stolen *sighs* Plus in some areas its just *not* worth biking it.

 

[Liar]

You think that's steep?

Here the single trip tickets will get hiked in April with something between double and four times the current price, depending on how far you travel (it's been a flat rate fee per trip so far). The idea is apparently to push commuters into buying travel cards instead of cash tickets. Cards which they also plan to hike prices on, but not by as much.

 

[Boxlicker101]

You think that's steep?

Here the single trip tickets will get hiked in April with something between double and four times the current price, depending on how far you travel (it's been a flat rate fee per trip so far). The idea is apparently to push commuters into buying travel cards instead of cash tickets. Cards which they also plan to hike prices on, but not by as much.

Both there and in London, it looks like the transit people are trying to gouge tourists. Not a bad idea, really. Commuters can buy the discount tickets.

For the last 17 years before I retired, I drove to and from work by myself almost every day. The few times I used public transit, it took more than twice as long and cost almost as much as driving.

 

[oggbashan]

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, introduced cheap fares on London's transport (bus and underground) systems. It increased the usage of public transport, reduced congestion in Central London, and pushed the capacity of the systems to the limit. It also cost massive amounts of subsidy and was banned by Central Government.

The underground network, started in the 19th century, needs massive investment to keep it functional. London isn't allowed to subsidise it in the way that other European systems are. The fare-paying passengers must pay higher fares for a poor service and endure the disruption of the improvement/repair work.

There isn't a joined-up policy on transport. There isn't even a joined-up rail system in the UK. One organisation owns the track and others run the trains. Locally our streets are full of commuters' cars all day while the station car park remains half-full because the car park charges are too high and the streets are free. It would make sense to make parking free for ticket holders but one company owns the station and car park, and another company runs the trains.

Buying a train ticket to travel a distance is a nightmare. Unless you know about a month in advance when you will be travelling, you can't buy a cheap ticket. Even if you do know, the cheap tickets are restricted in number and once they're gone, that's it. If you own a car, it is usually cheaper to drive with one person in the car than buy a full-rate train ticket. With two people, the train is ridiculously expensive. For some journeys, hiring a car for two or more travellers is cheaper than buying train tickets. Yet the Government subsidises the railways!

If I want to travel from where I live to Manchester I could go by train, changing in London with a journey across Central London by underground, bus or taxi. Or I could drive to Gatwick Airport and fly, paying car parking at Gatwick. Or I could go by coach, changing at London with a few yards to walk. Or I could drive.

To book the train I have to do it by internet because my train station and travel agent usually can't sell me the appropriate tickets and if they can they don't know and can't work out the cheapest option. If I fly, the car park charges are higher than the flight cost. If I go by coach, the ticket system is simple and I can buy it at several outlets in the town. If I go by car, I don't have to carry my luggage until I get to my destination. I can leave when I want to, stop en route when I want to, and lift my luggage only at the end of the journey.

The car's incidental cost for the journey is marginally greater than the coach fare for one senior citizen. The journey is slightly faster. If two people travel, the car is cheaper every time.

The journey time door to door if I fly or go by train is similar. With check-in delays, train changes and other transport at each end the whole time in transit is slightly longer than the car journey and about the same as the coach trip. All three are less comfortable for the whole journey than the car.

So what if I get stuck in a traffic jam? I have my own environment, ample seat space, my own music, food and (non-alcholic) drink and my luggage isn't going to get misrouted.

The car's convenience might be worth paying extra for. But when it is the cheapest and quickest option, there is no contest.

If I lived in Central London, the result would be very different.

Og