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Cheapest transport option (with conditions...)
jps - 9/3/15 at 08:14 PM

Interested in getting some alternative perspectives on this with, as always, the emphasis on 'locost'...!

I have a transport conundrum. One day a week I have to take my son to nursery, which comprises a 4 mile trip each way. Initially I used public transport (buses) to do this but thanks to their inability to stick to a timetable/enable me to make a connection I typically found the journey was taking roughly an hour each way and I was having to walk about half of the distance.

Last autumn I bought a car (S reg 1.7 Ford Puma), not fancying the prospect of walking a couple of miles in winter weather with toddler in pushchair. But the car is only needed for this journey. Hence, since I bought the car I've only put fuel in it twice, it must be close to 6 months since I bought it!!

The car cost me 1k (which i didnt mind as it's a rare 'no rust' one and has done under 70k). I've had to spend a couple of hundred quid on it since (new starter, new tyre) but it seems to run OK as far as I can tell, although who knows what the next MOT may throw up...

But I am paying out a good couple of hundred quid on insurance and the same again on tax.

Convenience is great, the journey is now about 10-15 mins each way, depending on traffic. But pound for mile the cost seems fairly crazy.

What would you do in this situation?

austin man - 9/3/15 at 08:22 PM

Buy a cheap classic car and get it on a classic policy, potentially zero to tax it and less than £200 to insure

ste - 9/3/15 at 08:27 PM

Taxi

Agriv8 - 9/3/15 at 08:38 PM

Bike with kidi carrier on back depending how busy roads are terain.

Taxi when weather not good

Cheep abs keeps you fit.

SteveWalker - 9/3/15 at 08:40 PM

For the convenience, I'd probably stick with the car. If I needed to save money, I'd consider a bike with a child seat - although with three children in my case, that'd be a bit impractical

loggyboy - 9/3/15 at 08:44 PM

Stick with it. Sometimes convenience is costly, but necessary.

perksy - 9/3/15 at 08:57 PM

Cheaper to run car ?

Bus ?

Pushbike ?

Taxi ? But that might be expensive depending on where you are...

coyoteboy - 9/3/15 at 08:59 PM

Bike with a kid carrier every time unless you live out on massive main roads (even large main roads are OK when there's heavy traffic).

Other than that - walk? It's only 4 miles - less than an hour each way?

SteveWalker - 9/3/15 at 09:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
Bike with a kid carrier every time unless you live out on massive main roads (even large main roads are OK when there's heavy traffic).

Other than that - walk? It's only 4 miles - less than an hour each way?


With a young child, considerably more than an hour! Even at an hour, that's 4 hours a day just walking back and forth twice in the day, I don't think I'd fancy that myself.

HowardB - 9/3/15 at 09:04 PM

can you lift share?

Slimy38 - 9/3/15 at 09:19 PM

Motorbike and sidecar? Might need a bit of setup costs if you've not got a licence, but insurance, tax, mot etc are a fraction of a car. Even my 600cc bike is £50 insurance and £50 tax a year.

Put something together on a 2 stroke engine and you get 100+mpg, you'll be filling it up once a year!

jps - 9/3/15 at 09:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by SteveWalker
For the convenience, I'd probably stick with the car. If I needed to save money, I'd consider a bike with a child seat - although with three children in my case, that'd be a bit impractical


I did consider one of these, realistically its a proper all weather option in which to transport the boy (I cycle to work every other day so don't mind the rain, etc myself): http://www.dutchbike.co.uk/family1.htm not cheap though!

But from a cost point of view a 'simple child seat on bike / taxi when it's pissing down' arrangement feels like the most sensible...

Although my heart says 'get a classic' my head says "it would end up a money pit"...

jps - 9/3/15 at 09:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
Motorbike and sidecar? Might need a bit of setup costs if you've not got a licence, but insurance, tax, mot etc are a fraction of a car. Even my 600cc bike is £50 insurance and £50 tax a year.

Put something together on a 2 stroke engine and you get 100+mpg, you'll be filling it up once a year!


Ooh! I've got a full licence but on an automatic (did my test on a 125 twist and go Vespa, which they were good enough to believe qualified as a powerful enough bike to grant me a proper licence)... I'll sell it to the missus on a Wallace and Gromit slant..!

steve m - 9/3/15 at 09:40 PM

Sort out a closer Nursery ?

Simon - 9/3/15 at 10:01 PM

or sell the kid

I bet the cost of the bus wasn't much cheaper than what you pay annually for pleasure of car ownership, plus you can use it for other things too, and at the end of the day it has a resale value.

ATB

Simon

Norfolkluegojnr - 9/3/15 at 10:26 PM

Car all the way. Safety first, bikes ( push or motor) are asking for trouble with little people.

I have a 3 year old and know how you feel. Is the insurance tpft? Maybe sell up and buy something at the bottom of its value?

cliftyhanger - 10/3/15 at 07:31 AM

I don't think a tax-free classic is the way to go. ou may find one at sub 1k that could be reliable and not need fettling, but most require regular care. However, insurance is usually sub £100, so running costs would reduce. And depreciation would be negligible, or even increase in value. Fuel cost may increase slightly. BUT the reliability factor is the big one.
Car share/regular lift would be ideal. I wouldn't want to be using buses etc as I hate waiting........
Taxi is similar cost I expect to running the car, but the car is so convenient. Bike? no chance. I sometimes fear for my own life. Let alone having a child with me.

Of course, the best solution may be to use the Kit............

Ivan - 10/3/15 at 07:44 AM

Reliant Robin or Bond Bug - just don't corner too hard!

coyoteboy - 10/3/15 at 08:21 AM

quote:

Safety first, bikes ( push or motor) are asking for trouble with little people.


Yep, you can expect to die once in 29 million miles of cycling according to the latest stats. Tough odds to deal with!

Staple balls - 10/3/15 at 08:40 AM

Pushbike + sprog seat, Flog the puma, dump funds into kit, get excuse to go out for a drive at least once a week

whitestu - 10/3/15 at 08:44 AM

[quote/]
Yep, you can expect to die once in 29 million miles of cycling according to the latest stats. Tough odds to deal with!



I should be safe for a few more years then!

geoff shep - 10/3/15 at 09:07 AM

Have you looked at more specialist insurers who might do limited mileage cover?

Norfolkluegojnr - 10/3/15 at 09:08 AM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
quote:

Safety first, bikes ( push or motor) are asking for trouble with little people.


Yep, you can expect to die once in 29 million miles of cycling according to the latest stats. Tough odds to deal with!


I think its generally accepted you can expect to die once in general.

Each to their own, but personally i've seen three serious bike accidents (one fatal), and two people knocked off push bikes in my 11 years of driving. And yes, I have a push bike and a bike license (rode for 10 years before having kids), but i don't think its where children belong.

Why take the risk?

Anyway, its too bl**dy cold at the moment for cycling

Irony - 10/3/15 at 09:15 AM

I briefly considered building a electric motorbike/car with very limited mileage. I live 16 miles from work and I reckon my boss could be persuaded to let me charge it at work. I would only need a 32 mile range. Depending on where you live and the speed limits of the route you could buy a used milk float!

coozer - 10/3/15 at 11:17 AM

Cheap small car, old 106 or Saxo?

Or, moving the nursery closer or the base closer to the nursery?

Its all about convenience, dragging a toddler around is no fun. They don't understand transport just want to get there with as little hassle.

Our grand bairn, lively 3 year old goes to the work nursery where her parents work. Now the rub is access, as non government workers we are not allowed through the gate never mind anywhere near the crech! That means only mammy and daddy are allowed to drop her off and pick her up.

Irony - 10/3/15 at 11:23 AM

My other half has retrained as a child minder so she can look after our little un as well as other peoples. Hopefully if she might be able to earn some sort of income from home. I am getting a bit bored of being skint.

Dingz - 10/3/15 at 05:36 PM

I have tried one of those Dutch bikes but with a fat bloke in it (it is his bike!) it is VERY hard work and the steering is awful!

coyoteboy - 10/3/15 at 05:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Norfolkluegojnr
I think its generally accepted you can expect to die once in general.

Each to their own, but personally i've seen three serious bike accidents (one fatal), and two people knocked off push bikes in my 11 years of driving. And yes, I have a push bike and a bike license (rode for 10 years before having kids), but i don't think its where children belong.

Why take the risk?

Anyway, its too bl**dy cold at the moment for cycling


Yeah I'm just saying the perception is considerably worse than the fact. For example I've seen in the order of a hundred car accidents, a couple of them fatal. I've seen no bike accidents despite about two decades of city and country riding. You really have to rely on the stats, not personal experience unless you have specific local knowledge of an area.

02GF74 - 10/3/15 at 08:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by whitestu
[quote/]
Yep, you can expect to die once in 29 million miles of cycling according to the latest stats. Tough odds to deal with!


I should be safe for a few more years then!


I wouldnt be so sure.

There is around 1 m people who cycle to work every day. Lets say their journey is 2 miles each way.

So each week = 1 m x 2 x 2 x5 = 40 m.

From the above stats, at least one will have been killed. It could be you.

I wonder what the figure is for cars?

More die in car accidents but the distances travelled are far greater.

jps - 11/3/15 at 01:55 PM

Slightly off on the maths, 1 m x 2 x 2 x5 = 20 m so it's more like 1 death every 10 days....

But I get your point, a quick Google turns up a Guardian article from 2012 stating that cycling is close to pedestrianing in the deaths per mile stakes. Motorcyclists worse off than both, car drivers 'safer' than all of them. http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/sep/28/road-deaths-great-britain-data

There's an interesting "how we die" graphic here: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/oct/28/mortality-statistics-causes-death-england-wales-2010

I wouldn't be surprised if the benefits of cycling (I.e. a bit of exercise) outweigh/prevent some of the many other things that might finish me off..

Irony - 12/3/15 at 08:57 AM

Milk Float

coyoteboy - 12/3/15 at 01:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
round 1 m people who cycle to work every day. Lets say their journey is 2 miles each way.

So each week = 1 m x 2 x 2 x5 = 40 m.

From the above stats, at least one will have been killed. It could be you.

I wonder what the figure is for cars?

More die in car accidents but the distances travelled are far greater.


You're just making numbers up now! Why 2 miles? Why assume that all cycling people are commuters?

In 2011 3.1 billion miles were covered by cyclists. 118 deaths. Something like 3000 serious injuries.

If you look at some of the meta data studies you'll see cycling is one of the safest forms of transport, it's an order of magnitude safer than driving for example:

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/risk/transporttrav.html


Edited to fix dodgy link

[Edited on 12/3/15 by coyoteboy]

jps - 7/4/15 at 09:31 AM

Thought i'd throw in an update - I have bought one of these:http://www.amsterdammers.co.uk/batavus/pdf/specBatavusCambridge.pdf (for the princely sum of £110 from these chaps http://www.re-cycle.org/)

And have ordered one of these: http://www.asadventure.co.uk/yepp-child-seat-yepp-maxi-easyfit-A414C12001?channel_code=544&id_colour=2374&product_code=78465716&utm_medium =google_uk&utm_source=catalogue_shop&gclid=Cj0KEQjwgI6pBRDak6aRovWNqLsBEiQA8zZSLoC0mN47qCIJhXM1k7B_4M0qAhF39xBcdzbX568f46IaAiow8P8HAQ

And will report back in due course!

coyoteboy - 9/4/15 at 11:57 AM

Nicely done, cheap, fuel from all you can eat cakes because you deserve it!

jps - 14/3/16 at 05:48 PM

Felt compelled to look this thread up, as the Puma conked out today (and with me needing to do the nursery run this evening...).

The Dutch bike & child seat combo has proved perfect for ferrying my son about in the village we live in, but on the one occasion I took him the 4 miles to nursery it ended with him screaming all the way home (didn't like the stiff breeze after a long day I think), so I've stuck with the car.

So I checked out taxi price today, it'd cost me £16 a day if I went with taxi, so just over £700 a year!! Car not looking like such an extravagant expense any more!!!