IMHO the problem with the bus fare cap is that it’s too high. £2 sounds great until you realise it’s per-person and per-journey, so if there’s three of you and you’re only going a couple of miles, a minicab might end up being cheaper!
That’s actually ok! The real issue is low occupancy cars: when you start carpooling the benefits really add up. A petrol car with 3 ppl is (from an emissions perspective) equivalent to a diesel bus with ~30 ppl.
If I wanted to get a monthly bus pass here (Canada), it would cost more than that I currently pay for insurance and gas for my car. Taking single trips would be quite a bit more than a monthly pass.
The pass would also be considerably more than investing in an e-scooter or e-bike, and absurdly more expensive when compared to riding a bike around.
I’m surprised that your insurance and gas cost is so low. A TTC monthly pass is only $156. You must have very cheap insurance and use only a small amount of fuel.
I’m on a pay-as-you-go plan with CAA, so insurance is dirt cheap… something like $50 for 1000km of driving (that amount covers both my wife and I). My previous insurance was close to $150 / month, even if we didn’t use the car, so that was a total ripoff.
Gas also depends on how much I drive. Since I choose to bike everywhere within a 20km range, it means I’m not driving nearly as much.
If I had to take my car EVERYWHERE, including very short trips (<3km away), then it would cost more for sure.
But it’s really hard for me to justify the cost of a bus pass in lieu of other modes of transportation.
IMHO the problem with the bus fare cap is that it’s too high. £2 sounds great until you realise it’s per-person and per-journey, so if there’s three of you and you’re only going a couple of miles, a minicab might end up being cheaper!
That’s actually ok! The real issue is low occupancy cars: when you start carpooling the benefits really add up. A petrol car with 3 ppl is (from an emissions perspective) equivalent to a diesel bus with ~30 ppl.
No joke!
If I wanted to get a monthly bus pass here (Canada), it would cost more than that I currently pay for insurance and gas for my car. Taking single trips would be quite a bit more than a monthly pass.
The pass would also be considerably more than investing in an e-scooter or e-bike, and absurdly more expensive when compared to riding a bike around.
I’m surprised that your insurance and gas cost is so low. A TTC monthly pass is only $156. You must have very cheap insurance and use only a small amount of fuel.
Yeah, I should add at least some context. LOL
I’m on a pay-as-you-go plan with CAA, so insurance is dirt cheap… something like $50 for 1000km of driving (that amount covers both my wife and I). My previous insurance was close to $150 / month, even if we didn’t use the car, so that was a total ripoff.
Gas also depends on how much I drive. Since I choose to bike everywhere within a 20km range, it means I’m not driving nearly as much.
If I had to take my car EVERYWHERE, including very short trips (<3km away), then it would cost more for sure.
But it’s really hard for me to justify the cost of a bus pass in lieu of other modes of transportation.