23-03-2022, 08:59 PM
(This post was last modified: 23-03-2022, 09:04 PM by Reckless Rat.)
Before the Thatcher years, public transport in the socialist republic of South Yorkshire was dirt cheap. Hardly anyone had a car. I think you could go anywhere on a bus in the county for a shilling. As a result, a lot of people used public transport. Then came de-regulation and the prices went sky high, and unprofitable routes were binned. At the same time, along came Derek Cook, (DC Cook Ltd) flogging Datsun 100As to all and sundry for cheap credit. Reliable little cars that had (at the time) lots of extras. He became a multi millionaire. People found their freedom. They realised that public transport was only any use if it was cheap, reliable and went where you wanted to go. Sadly it was and still is (in the main) none of the three. People realised that no longer did they need to live within a bus ride of their work, and the suburbs became the place to be.
Same story here in darkest Macronland. If you can't drive in our area, you're stuffed. There are buses, but only 4 a day to take kids to school and back, and one on market day. The town hall does run a free service for the elderly to take them on local errands, but only on a Friday, and only if you pre-book. Better than nothing, and I don't mind my local taxes being used to pay for it.
Same story here in darkest Macronland. If you can't drive in our area, you're stuffed. There are buses, but only 4 a day to take kids to school and back, and one on market day. The town hall does run a free service for the elderly to take them on local errands, but only on a Friday, and only if you pre-book. Better than nothing, and I don't mind my local taxes being used to pay for it.