this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2025
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Firstly: fuck the paywall.
Secondly: I can't tell if the data includes buses being stopped at... well, stops - or if it's only measured over the time the bus is in motion. With the increase of stops in developing suburban areas, the average speed would naturally come down.
I'm not saying that bus speeds aren't coming down, but it's hard to read into the data - especially when the speeds are only a few tenths of a mile per hour slower than pre-pandemic levels.
Off topic; but as a rural dweller, that made me giggle. An hourly bus is a luxury round here, and that's on an A-road on a rural-to-city route.
E.g. the 272 going North on Wood Lane has to cross the A40 intersection. But due to roadworks, the traffic going North is extremely slow. People coming from the A40 fill any gap that opens up and when the lights turn green for the bus, there’s nowhere for the bus to go. I’ve once spent like 20 minutes there without the bus being able to go.
curioscity about your life/statement, what's the train situation? I lived semi-rurally for a bit, while the bus system was horrendous, I found it ok to use the train for inter.... urban gathering? village? town? travel.
Yeah it's a valid point. The closest train service is about 35 miles away... and it's 30 miles to the city by road so it's a bit of a pain in the backside. I'd love to use public transport more but the infrastructure isn't really here north of Scotland's central belt.
When I lived in the south of England, one of the best things about it was not having to plan journeys. I could blindly walk into the local town's train station and there'd be a London-bound train every twelve or fifteen minutes. It wasn't really cheap, but I:d much rather pay the premium to travel without thinking; and with fewer emissions.
Here though, we're a bit fucked. It's not a rare story either - anything outside of Scotland's city limits, public transport is a bit spotty and rather expensive, but it is what it is.
I'm glad I put in "semi rural" instead of "rural" because the place I lived was not remote, just not as "huge city with millions of people" I'm used to living in. You're in "rural rural". Thank you for sharing.
to be honest, public transport for me doesn't feel like paying a premium as I don't have the recurring costs and maintainence that comes with owning a personal vehicle. No parking, no road tax, no fuel/electric, no upkeep. If I don't travel as much in a month, my travel costs are drastically lower, wheras if I had a personal vehicle, I'd be paying insurance, tax and storage fees no matter what.
yeah, the england/south centricism of the UK sucks ass.