h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When I stay in Peterborough the last bus from the city centre to where my aprents live is 11:10pm, so if you're on the other side of the city you have to leave the pubs early, or run, fast.

When I stay in Felixstowe, again the last bus from Ipswich is 11:10pm.

Where I live in Banbury I can either go to Oxford for a beer, and catch the last train (9:30pm) or the last coach (11:15pm) so no clubbing for me, shame.

There isn't exactly a late running service anywhere if you want to go out for the night.

It costs £6.90 to get a return from Banbury to Oxford, and about the same amount in petrol. So, get on a train or drive? The trains are almost always late. The trains mid-day are fine, which makes their figures seem okay, but all the morning trains are late. When they arrive they are invariably crowded so you don't get to sit down for the 30 minute journey into Oxford. There are always several people with personal stereos playing far to loud, a handful of people on their mobile phones, some shouting, some whispering, at least one screaming child who's upset because they've been asked to give their seat up for an old person, who then goes on to moan about the state of the railways these days.
Compare that to sitting in my car on a gentle 30 minute drive through the back lanes and villages listening to my choice of music, no screaming children.

Unfortunatly I can't do that to get to work because I work in Milton Keynes, that's what I do at the weekend. There is no train from Banbury to Milton Keynes. There's no train from Oxford to Milton Keynes. I either have to go through London or Birmingham. The cost is stupidly prohibative and the journey time ridiculous. So I drive to work. There's no way I'm cycling 30 something miles each morning and each evening.

There is a bus, on Tuesdays.

There is no point taxing/encouraging people to stop using their cars until it becomes pratical for them to do so. At the moment people *have* to use their cars. To make this more difficult only causes ill feeling and resent, not good on the popularity vote scale.

London can charge, they have public transport. They should charge. Other place can't justify it.