Your travel habits - how flexible is your hometime?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Just a day to go .... 36 'votes' cast so far and it's an interesting picture.  If you've not added your vote yet, please do so in the next 24 hours - you're helping with a very interesting piece of learning (and it's interesting too  )

[grahame]

I was wondering / researching how important an evening train service is for regular commuters.

On one hand, it has been suggested that a peak service is all that's needed, and lightly loaded trains during the evening aren't worthwhile. And on the other hand it's been suggested that the evening trains are vital because they provide a backup for people who may sometimes have to work late - cut out (or don't provide) the later trains, and you reduce loadings on your peak trains!

So I asked the question "how flexible is your finish time" ... question asked of members of the First Great Western Coffee Shop forum, who will tend already to be train / public transport users, at the start of March 2013. 

Results:

I have a fixed daily finish time    3 (7.3%)
I can decide on my own finish (flexitime)    13 (31.7%)
-> 40% of respondents are OK with a standard time train

I have a usual finish time but may have to work late    6 (14.6%)
I can usually decide but may have to work late    8 (19.5%)
I work until the job is done    2 (4.9%)
I work shifts which can be changed on the day    1 (2.4%)
-> 40% of respondents cannot risk just a standard time train

I work shifts and the finish time varies    8 (19.5%)
-> and the final 20% may be OK with a standard time train on some days

From a very small sample, then, the indication is that a peak only train at going home time will halve the number of people who can go home regularly by train.  In other words, the evening trains are far more important that the numbers of passengers carried may indicate.

Of course, once you have the trains on the track, and the crews working 2 x 8 hour shifts, the evening trains are provided as an increment of the cost - no extra capital investment needed as they're running in marginal time - only operational costs.  So it becomes a no-brainer to say "we need evening trains on commuter lines".