Scary Sums

[whole diary]

[Cynthia]

As part of the exercise to lever myself out of my car and take to public transport I thought I'd try to frighten myself by working out how much it is costing me to run my little Skoda.  I got it down to a figure per week, but am really too embarrassed to admit publicly how much I spend on personal transport!

I just wondered whether any other posters have 'done the maths', and whether they have produced results which have sent them scurrying to the railway station for a season ticket!? At least, now I'm in the realm of the wrinklies I can apply for a senior citizens railcard; I already have a bus pass but confess I haven't made use of it since moving to Melksham.

I'm sure someone somewhere must have done some research about travel cost comparisons, but not only am I too lazy to try to make sense of train timetables, neither can I be bothered to trawl through the myriad search engines to find the most accurate and reliable figures.  Perhaps the Dept. of Transport would be a place to start?  Someone out there might know better.

[Cynthia]

Only just realised that when I calculated the cost of running a car, I forgot to factor in the depreciation of the vehicle.  I wonder how much that would add to the ^38 per week I thought I was probably spending at present. 

[LiskeardRich]

According to http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-1633412/Calculator-True-cost-running-car.html

My car is costing me:
A year: ^1912.48
A month: ^159.37
A mile: ^0.10
Per day of use: ^5.25 

That calculator is very good, as long as you know how long you intend keeping your car and what it will be worth at that time, I've put in 5 years for mine, and put in the current value of a 8 year old model the same off of Autotrader, as mine is 3 years old now.

Unfortunately in Cornwall our public transport is inadequate at best. At evening peak on the main line we have 90 mins between services for example.

[Cynthia]

Thanks very much for the link, richwarwicker, will use it presently to further frighten myself out of my car and onto the trains, although I feel now there is a much improved rail service from Melksham that I should be taking advantage of that anyway.

Now, where did I put that timetable.......?

[bobm]

Now, where did I put that timetable.......?

Here http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/TicketsAndTrainTimes/TrainTimes/December%202013%20Timetables/TTC01_Web.ashx !

[Cynthia]

Hoorah!  Thanks, bobm.  I am hoping to start using trains to get to both Bristol (Southville) and to Potters Bar, which will be quite an adventure for me, as I think from Paddington I have to use the underground to get to Barnet/Potters Bar (Actually need to get to South Mimms village).  Has to be an improvement on trawling my way round the M25.

I have read on the forum with interest, some comments about holdups on the rail service, but I can't imagine it can be much worse than all the hours I've spent fuming in traffic jams on the motorway.  I can hardly recall a journey to Potters Bar without any delays at all, and I go up there an awful lot, as my son and his family live there.  Um.  This paragraph should probably have gone elsewhere on the forum.  Whoops.