I’m having a bad day. Skip as necessary.

[erastes]

Trying to work out public transport. To get a train to my dad’s – 17 miles – TAKES TWO HOURS. This is because you have to wait an hour in Norwich for a connecting train. And the cost? £11.80. Fuck me.

Buses? Almost as bad. There is a bus which goes through the village, takes an hour to get to North Walsham – no way I can do the full hours requirement needed for Caring, but it’s something, I suppose. But it looks like it only comes through the village at commuter times—in the WRONG direction. Argh.  No mention of FARES on the site, either.

WHY IS THIS SO BLOODY HARD?

Ok. looks like the best option is to drive a mile and park near the pub on the main road. That looks like the most sensible option. It’s still an hour’s journey on the bus. But still, I’d have some ammunition if the Carers Benefit people make a Fuss.

I wanted to look up how to get to the hospital, but I haven’t got the energy to do that today. I’ve got 2 weeks to organise that.  That’s going to entail 2 buses.  There is one community bus service in the area, it seems, but I need to enquire as to whether I’m eligible. This, my friends, is why I don’t use public transport.

The last time I used a train for a major journey was something I treated myself to. I never went on holiday anywhere so I paid £200 for a weekend at the Burghley Horse trials. You had dinner with the riders, walked the course with them on the Saturday, and watched the cross country and the show jumping. Expensive but I felt it was worth it. Got on the train on Friday afternoon at Poole – changed at London – all excited. Got to Sandy, Bedfordshire.  and the train STOPPED. For five hours. Gas leak on the line. Eventually they supplied buses, but I’d missed the dinner by then and it would have been 11pm by the time I got to the hotel, so I cancelled. I only lost my deposit, thank god I didn’t have to pay the whole amount up front, but British Rail refused to compensate and sent me “a free ticket to anywhere” – yeah, like I was going to get on a train again after that.

*screams*

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Comments

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I'm sorry. That does sound horrible.

Is the bus company open on Sundays so that you can call them and ask about things like fares?

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I sympathise; that's why when I was visiting the Aged P in hospital, I stayed in a hotel in the town and didn't stay at her house and use public transport. Buses round there are impossible.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. I have no idea how they expect to cut down the number of cars on the roads when they make public transport so expensive, inconvenient and BAD.

How about contacting the WRVS? Or the Red Cross? Both offer transport services by volunteer drivers, not just for hospital visits either.

*hugs*

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Public transport is bad everywhere. I looked into it once here.

To get to work (15 miles) I would have to be at the stop by 6 AM, would get to work late at 8:30 after two transfers, would have to leave work early at 3 PM and be home by 5. There are only 2 buses that come over to my side of the river.

They say there is no money in it, so they can't run more convenient routes. Then no one rides it and it gets less money and harder to use.

This is why I like subways.

[baritonejeff.livejournal.com]

That sucks. Truly. Here's hoping that you can find something that's workable.

Public transportation is nonexistant here in Wooster. The days that I've had to take a cab to dialysis (only in the winter), it's cost me twenty dollars round trip (just 2 miles one way.)