The Price of Public Transport!!!

As a person who has to take public transport on a regular basis there is one thing that gives on my nerves so much (apart from their inefficiency) is the prices of tickets! If the government want us to use public transport more often and our car less, surely they should lower the prices! For example; From Brockenhurst to London Waterloo the average price for a return ticket is £30!

But, then the buses around my area is even worse. From Lymington to Brockenhurst (about 4 miles) single journey will cost you around £3. That is an outrageous price when you think the petrol for a car would cost less, so if the government want us to use public transport rather than or car then they need to think less about all the profit they will make and think about lowering prices to make it easier to travel around.

Luckily though, for me, I have a young persons railcard, which is an amazing thing to have if you are the right age. It gives you a third off all rail fares. However, even then prices cab be extortionate. I was looking into getting the train up to Newcastle from Farnham. For a single to Newcastle they want to charge me £28 with the railcard or for an open return they want to charge me £72. I know that when you work out the cost of running a car (tax, insurance, mot, mechanical work etc) public transport would probably come up cheaper. But then you consider the advantages of running a car:

1. The comfort; A car in general is more comfortable than train, and is definitely more comfortable than a bus.
2. Ease off travel: It is easier and more convenient to travel by car because you can park closer to your destination and you are not set to such a strict timetabel as you would be with public transport due top train and bus times!

There are many other reasons why cars can be seen as more practical, although on the other hand you could argue there are advantages to trains and buses, such as the lack of having to pay for parking and you don't need to find a parking space.

But, when it comes down to it, if the government want us to use public transport they need to think about making services more regular but more importantly, cheaper!!!