Bus fares

That's a good point - if the whole family is going into town, it probably is cheaper to just drive and pay for parking no matter what town you're going to.

It IS cheaper.  I know.  I do it.

The bus system in Cambridge is 11.00 per week, but if you live father out it costs more.

I am not sure about driving in and parking since we don't have a car.  In Ipswich you get five people per one park and ride ticket and parking is free, so it is totally worth it there.

A weekly bus pass from my flat (near the city centre) to work (5 miles away on the outskirts of the city) costs £20. However, if I drive my car to work and back, it only costs £10 a week.

Here in Birmingham, I think there are at least three bus companies and two of them appear to cover the same routes and have the same numbers with the same stops - one is cheaper than the other, but I don't know if it runs less often or not, and I don't know anything about the third one.

I use Travel West Midlands (which is I think owned by National Express now).  It has two stage fares - the cheaper one is not worth it - two stops for £1.  Full fare is £1.70, or £3.30 for a return ticket that lets you ride the buses all over the area all day.  Since I work in the city centre and ride the bus five days a week, I get the monthly, paid-by-direct-debit pass that costs £38 and then I can ride on the weekends too if I need to...

They have one sort of odd all day pass - it allows up to 5 people to ride all buses all day for £6.50.  I know this because my brother, his wife and two kids visited this summer, and throw my husband into the mix and we could all make use of the bus (which we did a few times) for that price and, of course, my bus pass...

I am not sure about driving in and parking since we don't have a car.  In Ipswich you get five people per one park and ride ticket and parking is free, so it is totally worth it there.

It's probably worth it in a lot of places for Park and Ride, but not regular buses.

The annoying thing here is that there is no bonus to buying a monthly pass.  It costs the same, or like a pound less, and if you lose it you are sol.

It would probably be cheaper to drive for me, it would certainly be faster.  It takes me over an hour in the morning and an hour and a half in the evening, whereas with a car it would take less than 15 minutes.

The annoying thing here is that there is no bonus to buying a monthly pass.  It costs the same, or like a pound less, and if you lose it you are sol.

It would probably be cheaper to drive for me, it would certainly be faster.  It takes me over an hour in the morning and an hour and a half in the evening, whereas with a car it would take less than 15 minutes.

Same with me.  It sometimes takes me over an hour and a half to get home and I only live 2.5 miles away.

It varies a bit around the country, but Jim are you over 60? if so you would qualify for a free bus pass if living here.

I was born in 1938 and I knew on the Merseyside I could use buses, local trains and ferries free but I thought it was just a local policy. I would be happy to be proven wrong.

I would like as a public policy for buses to cost less than £1 per trip so as to get people out of their cars and save money ( and leave the roads just for me ).

I think when I was a child in the UK I'm guessing only 1 family in 300? had a car and bus/tram fares were relativly reasonable.

I don't want to start something but I think unions and Margaret Thatcher messed things up.

The wonder that is the London bus system comes up every once in awhile here in Manchester.  Especially after having to buy TWO days passes because your journey goes from one bus company's area to another's. We have heard (from friends who work for the Manchester public transport agency) that they wanted an Oyster card type system but that, because no one bus company was willing to try it out and work (ahem, contribute to the expense of) with the system that it looks impossible.  It's silly.

Have you looked into a System One pass?

http://www.systemonetravelcards.co.uk/

I was born in 1938 and I knew on the Merseyside I could use buses, local trains and ferries free but I thought it was just a local policy. I would be happy to be proven wrong.

It's national. When it was brought in some folks were working out how to travel from one end of the country to the other by bus... of course, it took a while!

When I was living in Birmingham earlier this year I got the monthly pass mentioned earlier in this thread. I thought is was a bargain:- used it to get to work, go out at night and the weekends. There are also passes that combine bus and rail travel in the West Midlands.

It's national. When it was brought in some folks were working out how to travel from one end of the country to the other by bus... of course, it took a while!

Yes I remember some one was going to try that traveling from North Wales to South Wales.

I also think I remember that one authority was going to stop it (free travel)  because of the cost (or loss of revenue)

Have you looked into a System One pass?

http://www.systemonetravelcards.co.uk/

We have--that's the more expensive option.  (For example, it is £17 a week for travel as compared to £11 a week for a one company option--which adds up...).  You have to cover a LOT of ground each week for that to work out cheaper, and there are occasional issues with small companies not accepting them. For me, at least, it just didn't make sense because my travel was erratic and varied--so some weeks I was just city centre and some I was all over the shop.  

Also, it is frustrating to be out with a group of friends and have to split up because some have Magic bus passes, some have Stagecoach, etc.

At the moment it is national within England (and I think in Wales also but not Scotland) but there have been some calls to scrap this and go back to the local bus pass only.

At the moment it is national within England (and I think in Wales also but not Scotland) but there have been some calls to scrap this and go back to the local bus pass only.

Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland seem to have separate schemes. Here's an article regarding calls to scrap the scheme:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8186848.stm

I think it should be local only. 

I totally agree that local OAPs should be able to travel around their own area to get the GP's and other appointments. 

But it galls me that local services might need to be shut down because OAPs who want a day out at the seaside can do it for free.  Especially since it isn't means tested.  And I don't understand why so many OAPs feel they deserve it.  It isn't as if this was something promised to them from the beginning of time.