Rocketing Fuel Costs!

[Gareth Harper]

It is also a loaded question, because I never said no-one should be able to strike, therefore I am not answering that question because it is irrelevant.

No but you did refer to rail workers as ‘the strikers’. You further seem to suggest that rail workers should perhaps adjust their lifestyle in line with rapidly rising inflation rather than ask their employer to maintain their rate of pay.

Meanwhile, it is notable that handsomely paid media presenters are happy to suggest rail workers are overpaid in comparison to other workers, whilst the obscene and opportunistic profiteering by oil and gas company shareholders and board members passes without comment.

Again, it is worth remembering that the cost of extracting oil and gas has not increased by one penny.

[AyrshireAlps]

I'm driving north in July and, even at £2 per litre, it'll still be significantly cheaper for two of us to get to Fort Bill by car than it would be by train.

Are you comparing fuel cost only though? There are a lot of other factors that add to the cost, wear and tear, depreciation, servicing, insurance to name but a few, these are factored into the train ticket price too. If I'm driving anywhere for work, it's calculated at a flat cost of 45p per mile to reflect this more fairly for instance.

I'd happily pay more taxes for better public services, social care, all that good stuff, but I'd want it as part of a greater rebalance, it doesn't work in isolation. Instead we have Bawjaws coming out with nonsense like folks on benefits getting a mortgage.

Whwn comparing the cost of journey modes, only the tangible cost matters. You have to pay for servicing/MOT/tax/insurance just by owning a car, so those costs are only eliminated if you go car free. There is no way of identifying the contributory cost of a typical car journey from wear and tear other than by some crude approximation which may or may not apply to any individual.

Which is exactly the point.

Folks paying 500 quid a month for a car is fairly normal, before you even consider insurance, tax and consumables. When you factor in everything else we pay monthly for, phones, TV, utilities, monthly beauty stuff, apps, spotify, amazon prime....... - all of that stuff, that is why we baulk at public transport prices, it's because our disposable income is gubbed, the train price is a symptom, not a root cause.

When we were sold the whole buy your own home and pension for the working man decades ago, and then the subsequent privatisation of public transport, they created a nation who became obsessed with their own space. Greed, laziness and debt, all rolled up in one lovely package (and also prevents anyone from really properly striking!)

To get a public transport system worthy of the name, it'll take not only massive investment (and ongoing subsidy), but a huge change in mindset. The investment is possible, I'm really not sure about the mindset.

As above, the only decent public transport is in London, but using it would involve living in the SE.

Bugger that.

[Gareth Harper]

I've been using an app called Fuelio and it's indeed showing a discrepancy between car calculated MPG and the app- I trust the app, Been using it for months so it's pretty accurate.

My Skoda Yeti generally tells me I’m getting great MPG. Though I can never ever achieve its predicted range when I fill up.
Anyway, here is how to come up with a reasonably accurate fuel consumption figure;

Next time you fill up (ideally once the low fuel light has come on), brim the tank and reset your trip meter. Drive until the light comes on again. Brim the tank and note how many litres you put in and how many miles you have covered.

Divide how many litres you have purchased by 4.546 Take that figure and divide your noted milage. That will give you a reasonably accurate(ish) mpg figure.

I tend to get 45mpg from my diesel 4wd Yeti, but the car’s computer keeps telling me I’m achieving between 50 and 55mpg. I suspect that will be the case with the majority of cars.

[BigTed]

Folks paying 500 quid a month for a car is fairly normal, before you even consider insurance, tax and consumables. When you factor in everything else we pay monthly for, phones, TV, utilities, monthly beauty stuff, apps, spotify, amazon prime....... - all of that stuff, that is why we baulk at public transport prices, it's because our disposable income is gubbed, the train price is a symptom, not a root cause.

I can see your point but I'm not sure £500 a month car leases are common. Plenty choice around £250 even at current high prices. I bought my car 4 years ago new for £18k. Currently worth £14k. £1000 a year depreciation. OK again that is current prices. But if I was to keep it 12 years then scrap it the cost would be £125 a month. Add fuel insurance etc I'm maybe up to around £310 to £360 a month. So £10 to £12 a day for transport which takes me anywhere, quickly, at any time. Public transport can't match that on price and isn't anywhere near it on flexibility and convenience. It never will be.

[AyrshireAlps]

I see shitloads of shiny German SUVs around buddy, you ain't getting one of those for 250 quid, granted maybe the 500 example is a tad high, but I know folk that pay significantly more than that. And how many families have just one car?.

But tbh this wasn't my point, it's too easy to look at it I isolation, when the bigger picture is the real story.

[BigTed]

Yes. We will know the cost of living is biting when sales of highend cars dip and cheap cars rise. After all a Fiesta or other small car will get you to the highlands as fast as a German prestige model. The difference in loan or lease costs would pay the amount electricity and gas have gone up by.

[mproudfoot]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-61731128

Funny that they used a photo of the Cluanie Inn as an example of the high fuel prices - for a long period of time, whenever driving past there (and not really paying attention to the rest of the sign), I actually thought that was room prices (like £180/night etc)

[kaiserstein]

I can do that

When we stayed at a cottage near rogart over easter the petrol station's prices were the same as anything in edinburgh so you could maybe add them to the map. Handy for a trip far north.

[AndyHam]

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it , I always use cruise control where possible. I get much better mpg letting the cars computer do the job than my heavy size 11

[9queens]

With all the bad news I need the hills like never before.

I am cycling to work far more frequently to try and offset the rising prices.
More camping or sleeping in the car. Longer trips and less day trips.

[Sunset tripper]

You just need to look at it the same way as an alcoholic in Scotland.

A recent study has shown that the higher pricing of alcohol in Scotland hasn't forced people to drink less, as was the plan - they have just cut down on the less important stuff, like eating and heating!

"The hills come first" my old mate says.

[Giant Stoneater]

I once asked the government when would they offer a better transport system to get from the east coast (Carnoustie) to the west coast (Fort William) as they were preaching at the time about getting folk to use public transport more, i pointed out that to do the journey by bus took about 8 to 10hrs sometimes more, sometimes less depending on time and connections as by car it took 3hrs, the reply i received totally ignored these facts.


For the ones that receive free concessionary travel in Scotland it is mostly supplied by private companies with the government reimbursing them, how come then that the government that has nationalised a rail company does not supply free concessionary travel on rail.

[BigTed]

Free rail travel would means problems with capacity on many lines. Fares only cover a third of the cost just now. A reasonable compromise I think.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/rail/investing-in-scotlands-railway/scotlands-railway-delivering-value-for-money/

[cruachan06]

I once asked the government when would they offer a better transport system to get from the east coast (Carnoustie) to the west coast (Fort William) as they were preaching at the time about getting folk to use public transport more, i pointed out that to do the journey by bus took about 8 to 10hrs sometimes more, sometimes less depending on time and connections as by car it took 3hrs, the reply i received totally ignored these facts.


For the ones that receive free concessionary travel in Scotland it is mostly supplied by private companies with the government reimbursing them, how come then that the government that has nationalised a rail company does not supply free concessionary travel on rail.

I've got a similar issue being in Hamilton. I have to suffer the preachy "think bus or train" signs on the Motorway going to Edinburgh, when the costs for me are ridiculous never mind the hassle. All the express routes are north of me, so I'd have to go either to Glasgow or via Cumbernauld to get to the route via Falkirk, which is extortionate (last I checked £30 return per day, which was at the time half a tank of diesel or 300 miles in my car). The Cross Country route from Motherwell via Carstairs is quick and cheap, but is always overcrowded and is no use if you're not going to the centre of Edinburgh, and although the line via Shotts has been electrified recently it's not cleared for high-speed running, so there are no express services and I'd still have to drive to Bellshill to get to that service anyway.

The Citylink buses are also not great for South Lanarkshire, unlike the 900 (think that's the right number) which runs all day there's only one each way a day for Hamilton and East Kilbride.

[AyrshireAlps]

recent study has shown that the higher pricing of alcohol in Scotland hasn't forced people to drink less, as was the plan

Not quite true, the study said that those that drank most, the worst affected by the devil drink, hadn't reduced their consumption.

Which was expected, the MAP policy is designed to slowly chip away at our ridiculous relationship with alcohol, as part of a strategy, not a stand alone weapon to tackle it.