StroudGrecian
Very well known Exeweb poster
Isn't there a cord for that?
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Free Public Transport for All
- Thread starter Colesman Ballz
- Start date
IndoMike
Very well known Exeweb poster
Theoretically I think it's a great idea.
Problems could be that if the service was not functioning well then "What are you complaining about: it's free innit?"
Overcrowding could be another issue
Problems could be that if the service was not functioning well then "What are you complaining about: it's free innit?"
Overcrowding could be another issue
Alistair20000
Very well known Exeweb poster
Lots of people say they are happy for taxes to be raised......................as long as somebody else is paying them. I have a friend who is an ardent Socialist. His wife has just inherited 300,000 pounds. Did he start to tick when I told him she would have 9,000 pounds Inheritance Tax to pay. Yes a rate of just 3%
Terryhall
Active member
The privatised franchise model sadly torpedoes this incredibly sensible suggestion, as there is currently zero incentive for a profitable private company on a profitable/well-run franchise (side note - does such a thing exist?) to voluntarily hand over cash to a loss making competitor on a different franchise. Until this changes I think the UK rail network will continue to suffer from under investment and poor quality of service.
Quite, and it was also the same with austerity - people were happy for cuts to be made as long as, er, nothing was cut.
Terryhall
Active member
Done some research on this. Currently, public transport is already free for children and students. Public transport tickets for adults are already capped - the maximum charge for a 2nd class 2 hour journey is €2; for a 1st class ticket it would be €3. The majority travel on an annual pass costing €150 which entitles them to use all public transport for a whole year.
Given that I'd agree with the words of caution from some quarters that those who are still using their cars today are unlikely to be persuaded to take public transport as a result of this move - if anything this might even go the other way if, as others have posted, there is a fear of overcrowding or poor service.
Despite several visits to Luxembourg (both business and leisure) I don't recall having ever used their public transport so can't comment on the quality of it.
That said this seems to be a campaign promise by the incoming coalition government, rather than a confirmed policy that has already passed in the Luxembourg parliament, so this may yet not become a reality.
Given that I'd agree with the words of caution from some quarters that those who are still using their cars today are unlikely to be persuaded to take public transport as a result of this move - if anything this might even go the other way if, as others have posted, there is a fear of overcrowding or poor service.
Despite several visits to Luxembourg (both business and leisure) I don't recall having ever used their public transport so can't comment on the quality of it.
That said this seems to be a campaign promise by the incoming coalition government, rather than a confirmed policy that has already passed in the Luxembourg parliament, so this may yet not become a reality.
I would also add that the Letzburgisch demographic and the topography of the country make this an incredibly different proposition to anything we might have (or would propose to have) in the UK.
As much as I'd love to have a free pass to travel to work - especially if, as sounds likely (I'll find out later today the extent), I'll be needing to make regular trips into Zone 1 soon (we have another satellite campus opening up in February near Holborn and my boss wants me to play "a leading role" in it, whatever that means).
As much as I'd love to have a free pass to travel to work - especially if, as sounds likely (I'll find out later today the extent), I'll be needing to make regular trips into Zone 1 soon (we have another satellite campus opening up in February near Holborn and my boss wants me to play "a leading role" in it, whatever that means).
I recently moved from a zone 2 university to a zone 1 one, and it's costing me an extra thousand pounds a year.
Just moving from a university that was a 10-15 minute drive away to one in zone 2 is proving a bit of a killer. While my petrol costs have gone down from about £100 to about £25 per month, I'm now paying £130 per month to commute. That said, it does mean that if I'm on public transport for leisure purposes (which happens a few times per month) it's free (as long as I don't venture into zone 1!).
Yes, the one advantage I have now is that zone 1 leisure travel is now free. I used to do a lot of getting off at the last stop in zone 2 and changing to a bus, but now I don't have to worry about that.