Great Western Coffee Shop

A survey of car commuters has revealed four-out-of-five would rather pay to use their companies' car parks than travel to work on public transport (link below.)
http://thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133464&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133158&contentPK=19634391&folderPk=78031&pNodeId=133174

Quotes from David Shelton, Motorpoint's managing director :

Doesn't surprise me one bit.

For me, it depends on the public transport

Bus = no way jose

Train = it depends
Long journeys = over 30 minutes = If I can get a seat with a table and enough space to work with some form of trolley (minimum) or buffet, yes but if any of the conditions dont apply, forget it
Short journeys = as above but without the trolley or buffet requirements

On a related note, Totnes MP Anthony Steen last night claimed that MPs were "treated like dirt" over their pay and insisted they should be allowed to claim special taxi allowances to get around London - to avoid using the Underground (link below.)
http://thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=143632&command=displayContent&sourceNode=142719&contentPK=19650001&folderPk=91672&pNodeId=201778

With MPs due to vote on their own pay rises today, Mr Steen said it was wrong to expect parliamentarians to use the Tube if it was raining or if they had a lot of paperwork with them.

He claimed it was "neither reasonable nor practical" to expect MPs to travel on public transport when heading back to constituencies at the end of the week.

Conservative party sources were quick to insist: "This is not party policy."

Well you will never get most motorists to use a bus, a car is door to door, use a bus you have to get to the bus stop, that might be quite a walk, stand around in the cold and wet waiting for said bus, get on board and part with money, (paying for Fuel with a credit card doesn't feel like paying at the time) travel half as fast as driving, get stuck in the same Traffic jams, then when you get of bus another walk, and if a second bus is required FORGET IT.

Motorist's might use Trains, but buses NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For some reason buses have a stigma attached to them that trams and trains don't have. That's why every city in the UK that has bought trams back it has been a huge success...so much so that they are now adding lines to their networks.

They have been trying to re-introduce a tram network for Bristol and Bath for years but the then labour dominated city council in Bristol and one Bristol MP constantly blocked the proposals that in the end the firm who wanted to bring trams back upped sticks and left.

Thats transport progress for you and now First rule the roost on both the buses and trains in the Bath and Bristol area. Though to be fair to First things have improved a bit on the buses in Bath but Bristolians might not agree with regards to their bus services at the moment.

There has been quite a reaction to Mr Steen's comments (link below.)
http://thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=143632&command=displayContent&sourceNode=142719&contentPK=19662038&folderPk=91672&pNodeId=201778

The first rule of doing a survey if you want it to be unbiased is to choose your sample randomly.  Doing a survey that asks people about their commuting habits and chooses to ask those who are already car commuters is, I suspect, going to end up with a report that's not worth the bandwidth given to it.

However - points made by other posters, I have to agree - there is a certain stigma attached to the bus. You have only to look at how our (business visitors) use of public transport underwent a sea change in December 2006 when the trains that our customers used were withdrawn.  Prior to that point, around 45% arrived by car, 40% by train, 10% by taxi / lift, usually from a more distant station or airport, and the number who used motor cycles, walked, and used the bus only added up to less than 5%

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/bifman.jpg)

The bus stops RIGHT OUTSIDE our new place, about every hour (picture above and we are right behind the bus!).  We give publicity to the timetable, and we tell people how well it connects.  Result?  I would estimate 70% car, 20% taxi / lift, remaining 10% split pretty evenly between motor cycles, walking, bus, and the one remaining train that heads out at 19:50.

Me just the messenger, I thought the article would be of interest....

The article very interesting, and triggers a conversation - many thanks for posting it, Lee. As someone  who darned nearly ended up with a qualification in statistics (but I veered off to computing) I'm often fascinated by the way a biased sampling techninque - the one you reported on here for example, if the report has it right - can lead to results which need to be treated with a strong pinch of salt.

My reply may have been so terse in its quoting and opening remarks that people reading it in isoltaion could have believed that you were behind the report and not just the messenger.   My apologies, Lee.