The economic impact of Covid-19

[ChrisVillan]

The public transport system in London is a absolute excellent one.

[Davkaus]

Very vocal minority on here.

[OutByEaster?]

And not only is it excellent, the public transport system in London is subsidised by taxpayers from all over the rest of the country who have to put up with privatised rubbish.

 

[StefanAVFC]

For a city of its size, and complexity, the Tube is bloody brilliant

[HanoiVillan]

22 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

And not only is it excellent, the public transport system in London is subsidised by taxpayers from all over the rest of the country who have to put up with privatised rubbish.

 

To be fair, the large majority of TfL's budget comes from fares - it is almost unique in global terms in needing to be largely self-financing (it does have other ways to achieve financing, like business rates on properties, but these aren't really taxpayer subsidies. Central government now pays almost nothing into TfL's budget).

[Sam-AVFC]

33 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

To be fair, the large majority of TfL's budget comes from fares - it is almost unique in global terms in needing to be largely self-financing (it does have other ways to achieve financing, like business rates on properties, but these aren't really taxpayer subsidies. Central government now pays almost nothing into TfL's budget).

There is an extra levy in top of standard business rates to pay for Crossrail. I'm pretty sure the standard charge doesn't contribute, but they do also subsidise LAs in the rest of the country. 

The tube is absolutely rancid, but still far superior to the rest of the country. 

Don't know if you missed me saying where I live there are 3 buses a day @Demitri_C. And forget Uber anywhere south of Bristol. There are 2 taxi drivers here and one is normally too drunk to risk getting in his car. 

[HanoiVillan]

There's a good breakdown of TfL funding on this page: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/how-we-work/how-we-are-funded

I was somewhat over-estimating the contribution of fares (it's actually 47% of total funding, roughly 70% of income), but looking at the other sources of income, the majority of which are generated in London, it seems a bit of a stretch to say 'the public transport system in London is subsidised by taxpayers from all over the rest of the country' - it mainly isn't, and other big cities are far less reliant on self-funding through fares (they are under 40% of income in Paris and New York) and more reliant on government support.

[Demitri_C]

7 hours ago, Davkaus said:

Very vocal minority on here.

Yeah a forum of 10,000 members which most dont live or use it daily.

Good one 

[Demitri_C]

5 hours ago, Sam-AVFC said:

There is an extra levy in top of standard business rates to pay for Crossrail. I'm pretty sure the standard charge doesn't contribute, but they do also subsidise LAs in the rest of the country. 

The tube is absolutely rancid, but still far superior to the rest of the country. 

Don't know if you missed me saying where I live there are 3 buses a day @Demitri_C. And forget Uber anywhere south of Bristol. There are 2 taxi drivers here and one is normally too drunk to risk getting in his car. 

Yeah i missed that sam. 

Wow that sucks. I appreciate in other parts of the country you might get this kind of service and having a tube would benefit you.

I have been using the tube since a kid. I can compare to what it was to what it is now. The services are unreliable as we daily get problems, increases with fare prices and the over crowding is horrendous. 

I think the central and piccadilly lines are pretty good. But others like the metropolitan, victoria and circle my god its a shambles as they always seem to have delays or are suspended.

I think its shit because compared to what it was before where it was more reliable and cost less.

 

[chrisp65]

There is no bus from here to the train station. There is no car park at the train station.

The train, one an hour (there used to be two) is so old and tired I’m physically too tall at 6’2” to fit in the seats so I have to stand.

At the other end, there is no bus route to the office from the train station, which is a 30 minute walk from the train station.

The train to London is £248.80 Return (one day, not a week pass) plus £14 to park the car for the day.

However, I can completely see how that is superior to what Londoners have to put up with, I concede, I’m out.

 

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

1 hour ago, chrisp65 said:

The train to London is £248.80 Return (one day, not a week pass) plus £14 to park the car for the day.

OK,  this is absolutely outrageous.  That is bordering on a criminal enterprise if nothing else.

Just to give some perspective and I was interested in comparison.  

So,  a return trip from Haarlem to Maastricht (220 kilometres).  I want to be there just before 9.00 am.

Have a think what you think it will cost,  I have the 2nd class and 1st class prices in here.  

I think this is a longer journey than anywhere in Wales so the 250 quid versus.......

Spoiler

  

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Amsterdam_Neil_D

[StefanAVFC]

Adding to Neil's post above:

Poland, train from each major city to Warsaw booking for tomorrow:

Lodz - 6 quid
Krakow - 30 quid
Poznan - 28 quid
Gdansk - 20 quid
Wroclaw - 13 quid

All public transport in my old city, 50p for 20 min ticket, 90p for 40 min, monthly pass 17 quid for unlimited.

[Davkaus]

4 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Yeah a forum of 10,000 members which most dont live or use it daily.

Good one 

Do opinions not matter unless you use something every day? So, about those prisons.  

[Demitri_C]

2 hours ago, Davkaus said:

Do opinions not matter unless you use something every day? So, about those prisons.  

Of course your entitled to your opinion

No crime commited

[Demitri_C]

4 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

There is no bus from here to the train station. There is no car park at the train station.

The train, one an hour (there used to be two) is so old and tired I’m physically too tall at 6’2” to fit in the seats so I have to stand.

At the other end, there is no bus route to the office from the train station, which is a 30 minute walk from the train station.

The train to London is £248.80 Return (one day, not a week pass) plus £14 to park the car for the day.

However, I can completely see how that is superior to what Londoners have to put up with, I concede, I’m out.

 

Here is a suggestion. 

Move?

[LondonLax]

Sydney to Newcastle (Aus) is 150km and costs £14 each way. 

[lapal_fan]

3 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Here is a suggestion. 

Move?

I thought you said the transport in London was already over crowded? 

[lapal_fan]

I think it's important to add that whilst there is a lot of "envy" towards London for the sheer scale of everything and that it's frankly laughable that anyone can moan about it's transport system (in comparison to anywhere else in the UK) that doesn't mean it's without it's problems. 

But as Chris has pointed out, he has 1 shit, expensive as **** train to get, which is super poop, but I can also appreciate that half a million commuters everyday having to wait extra time, or having to make alternative arrangements is also a shit.  Especially when you take into consideration the frequency of each's problems.  I.e. If Chris has to do his expensive, shit journey everyday to London then yea - it's avoidable just by moving elsewhere.  But when these problems on the TfL more and more often, it's equally as annoying.

Context innit. 

 

Anyway, Covid19 - can all the idiots/commoners stop talking and spitting at each other please?  I don't wanna do lock down again, it's really annoying having 2 parents working whilst having a 5 and 1 year old in the house which require attention all the time.  In fact, it's nigh on impossible and nearly ended me and the wife in early March so everyone stop being cabbage now?  Yeah?  Cheers. 

regards,

Lap

TITS. 

[Genie]

At least the absolutely essential to our daily lives pubs are open. The place where social distancing is always perfectly observed and there is next to no chance of spreading the virus. 

[Xela]

Come on Dem, London have the best public transport system in the UK by a million miles. Yes its annoying when the tube line shuts down or there are delays but these things happen everywhere. If my train line is shut down for whatever reason (trespassers, overhead damage to the electric lines, broken down train, etc) I have to either get a taxi home (£25) or wait my turn to get a bus... quite often not getting on the first one or two due to them being rammed and then potentially taking 90 mins to get home after that. 

The tube is a wonderful system and i'm always in awe of it when I'm in the big smoke.