Gas Prices - has it changed how you live your day to day?

Has not changed us, hubby still needs to drive 20 miles to work no matter what and the kids still have summer activites.

Nope, I don't have a car and even if I did, parking is a pain in the ar$e in the area of London where I live.

I didn't have a car for the first 9+years and it was the amount of time you waste on public transport that finally made me give in. 

Interestingly enough, the amount of time I waste on public transport is less than the amount of time I wasted driving a car in the USA -- sitting in daily traffic congestion on my commute to & from work.  I don't miss that at all.  At least on the train, I can relax & read the newspaper or a book -- while someone else 'drives'.   Though I realize that the time factor will vary considerably depending on one's location here in the UK.

Hasn't really changed us.  We use our car to run errands and go for days out - picnics, festivals, historical sites, other family friendly outings.  Trains are not cheap, and not really toddler and baby friendly.  Before I got so pregnant, I walked to work (almost 5 miles round trip) to work and took a bus two days/week.  Buses are 80p per ride/person, not buggy friendly and take forever.  Our car is a compact, economical diesel that doesn't use much fuel.  

We went w/o a car for about a year, but tbh, it was a REAL PITA w/a young family.  

Posted by: balmerhon

We're a rare 2 car household

Not rare enough where I live,nearly every household has at least two cars,some three and one four.Most have garages or carports they have full of junk or kids toys and park the cars in the street.

Dave

Buses are 80p per ride/person...

Yes I think this varies quite a bit, depending on where you live & where you commute as well.  Here the (daily pass) bus costs £2.00 roundtrip during offpeak hours, and the train is only £1.50 offpeak.  But since we use public transport at least M-F, hubs & I each buy a weekly rail card which is £8.70 for our departure/destination combo.  It's still cheaper than it would be for us to drive to work every day plus paying to park in city centre.

Yes I think this varies quite a bit, depending on where you live & where you commute as well.  Here the (daily pass) bus costs £2.00 roundtrip during offpeak hours, and the train is only £1.50 offpeak.  But since we use public transport at least M-F, hubs & I each buy a weekly rail card which is £8.70 for our departure/destination combo.  It's still cheaper than it would be for us to drive to work every day plus paying to park in city centre.

The drivers just won a big pay rise.  Fares will be going up to £1.00 as of the New Year here.  I now use a 'Ridacard', which is a direct debit.  It offers unlimited bus travel for £31/month, as I ride the bus into work daily now and often run errands up the town during lunch, but that's only b/c it's getting harder for me to walk fast.  As soon as this baby's out, I'm going back to walking a lot. 

Parking is about £2/hour in city centre, and they LOVE to ticket. 

For everything we do as a family, though, we use the car.  Can't imagine queueing for a bus in Scottish winter with a todder and a newborn, a double buggy and all their gear.  No, thanks. 

  Can't imagine queueing for a bus in Scottish winter with a todder and a newborn, a double buggy and all their gear.  No, thanks. 

Yeah I can see how the bus/train is a pain with the kiddos in tow.

When I first moved home, I was commuting 200 miles round trip every day.  Ouch!  Since I moved to the city in April, I walk less than 10 minutes each way to the office.

We go home on the weekends (200 miles round trip) and it does hurt to fill 'er up.  If we run her dry, it can cost $35-40.  I know that's not a lot, but I can recall a year ago when I was shocked at $25 to fill up. 

I guess it's the cost we pay to live in a car culture.  Now that Paul is learning to drive, our fuel bill may go up yet!

The rise in prices hasn't affected us as we don't drive -- we're all about public transport.  We do plan on getting a car in the next year or so as we'll be moving and don't want our move to be dictated by whether or not we're near a bus stop or metro station.  Still, even then, I don't think we'll  be driving much -- mostly on weekends or for short road trips.

They said on the news this morning that your average UK driver spends £100/month on petrol.  Couple that with the £100/month my car insurance is sure to be in addition to a car payment and all associated costs, and well, let's just say I'm not in too big of a hurry to drive!  My £347/year travel pass is good enough for now! 

sitting in daily traffic congestion on my commute to & from work.  I don't miss that at all.  At least on the train, I can relax & read the newspaper or a book -- while someone else 'drives'.   Though I realize that the time factor will vary considerably depending on one's location here in the UK.

I agree with Carolyn - I don't like driving and enjoy a half hour bus ride with time to read (and especially sailing past the traffic queues in the bus only lane on rush hour mornings. ). We have one car which my husband uses for work (although he can use bus and train if necessary), and weekend trips etc. Going into town on the bus is far quicker than trying to find somewhere to park. I did use the bus and train with baby and toddler, but usually when we had plenty of time to spare. The buses here are getting much more child friendly with designs that enable you to push a buggy straight on without folding it.

But I do live in an area with pretty good public transport.

Used public transport in the US and now in the UK. I didn't have a car at univ while in pitt undergrad and had to rely on friends and buses - a true pita sometimes. THen, in DC, my job (gov't) paid for me to take public transport, so I did! Way cheaper than paying for parking/gas/insurance. My insurance was lower b/c i drove so little! But i had to have a car for long trips. Here (Leeds), I am getting used to the buses and so far have few complaints. The drivers have been friendly and the trips aren't much longer than a car. Mostly it's the wait that makes it longer. Plus, I'm walking more and that can never be bad when you're trying to keep fit. My brit bf has a company car - all expenses paid and he HAS  to have that. He drives anywhere from 5-15hours a week in that car btwn sites for work. He's not taken public transport since he was 17 and got his license.

I had to drive everywhere in the US. Where I lived there is no such thing as public transportation...but here I don't have a car and we don't ever intend to buy one, unless DH gets a job that is not commutable on public transport. For myself, I will most likely always find little jobs within walking or public transport distance of home. I'm not bothered about what I do anymore since I quit teaching. I'll check groceries at Kwik Save, I'm not particular, and my current library job is a short walk across the town centre.

But i did finally get fed up with being on someone else's timetable, instead of my own.

Which is exactly why I bought my car!  I have only started filling my car to half now.  I only use that much in a week anyway.  I only use my car for work most times.

My husbands *boat* of a car is currently not being used - as he's not here.  I feel sorry for him having to fill up that 2.0 litre beast when he comes back!

I just spent $45 filling up last night and was so pissed off that I stopped at a car dealer ship to shop for a new car on my way home.  Unfortunately I owe to much on my gas guzzler and probably alway will since SUV's are becoming less popular.  I wished I lived closer to work (at one time I could walk to work, but didn't because it was to risky to cross the busy street with the crazy Houston drivers).  We currently live halfway between mine and DH's work, which still leaves each of us with almost a 2 hour round trip commute. I hate to think how long that would take on the bus.