Well actually just trains and buses really and nowhere near Paris or Rome but I had the song running round in my head and I thought I'd share it with you so it could drive you all nuts too. And now I'm going to grumble about the extortionate prices our local buses charge. Public transport is generally expensive here in the UK thanks to Thatcher's grand sell-off. She thought it should be privately owned rather than publicly owned and could make a profit - this in the face of all logic and all good sense as shown by pretty much every other country in the world. And she sold it all off. So vast numbers of companies compete furiously for the big contracts like London while the less populated rural areas get sweet FA. Round here there isn't enough traffic for competition so there's just the one company running the buses. Which means they can charge what they like and all we can do is pay up and grumble.
Not that I take the bus much but this week I'm on the other side of town, can't have the car and there's no company van doing a pick-up run. So yesterday I caught the bus. It cost £5. FIVE POUNDS!! In costs per mile that's more than flying Concorde to New York!! In US terms it's somewhere between $7,50 and $10 - for 8km/5 miles - a 25 minute journey on a crowded bus. And you thought there weren't still highwaymen on the roads, Hah. These days they wear fancy suits not tricorne hats. Today I got smart. We're lucky enough to still have a branch-line railway here (not many towns do now) with stops in several places across the city, although most people don't seem to realise it. There's a station 10 minutes walk from me (right near the bus stop) and another 5 minutes from where I'm working (ditto). I caught the train. £1,50. (around $2,50 to $3) and it took 6 minutes. The train was half empty. Obviously it's a really well-kept secret. The best bit?? I got an extra half-hour in bed by doing that. *g*
Ze
- BtVS
- Chapter 20 of Bonded by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 26 of Crashing Down by Asher (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 83 of So Damn Domestic by Salix (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 6 of Who Am I? by slayertash (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapters 1 and 2 of Tell Me Your Fable by SammyFLuv (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 4 of Moving On by Prophecy Girl (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapters 1 and 2 of Bed of Roses by KW_Jordan (BuffynFaith.Net).
Stargate SG-1 - Home (part 7 of The Roots that Clutch) by Tittamiire (Area 52).
Voyager - Chapter 11 of Days of Open Hand by Captain Katie (Her website).
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