What forms of transport do you enjoy most?

[Perhaps]

And which one do you like least?

[BFG_]

[anxiouslondoner]

Worst: Ryanair flights. Cheap flights have been made so unpleasant that companies like Ryanair practically weaponise their own unbearableness to make a profit. Sure it's only £35 return to Gdansk but hey you wouldn't want to end up with a bad seat would you? Pay £10 to reserve a seat, plus £25 each way to bring enough luggage but then you get "priority boarding" which means we shove you into an airless, seatless corridor 45 minutes before the plane even lands. We'll spend the whole flight selling you perfume and lottery tickets you don't want, and you'll be crammed into a space 57% smaller than the minimum allowed for transporting sheep to the slaughterhouse.

Best: uh I dunno. I like train travel when it's not busy and not on strike and you can sit at a table and watch the world fly past.

[gregarious_introvert]

Best, undoubtedly, is driving. If diesel were free and carbon neutral, I'd rarely be out of the driving seat.

For the worst, I'd say local buses, especially those which don't name the stops (if I'm somewhere unfamiliar, of course - I know where to get off my local Pronto route when I use it) and I'm hemmed in by someone whilst trying to determine when to ring the bell and get off.

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[anewyear]

Originally Posted by BFG_

Useless fact.. that scene was filmed a few miles from my house

[Jen.]

Best: trains (outside of the UK). Journeys on a nice train that hardly cost anything and run on time are great.

Worst: taxis (everywhere). In Greece last year I think a taxi driver deliberately dropped me off further away from my apartment because I didn't respond to his initial attempt at small talk and mostly sat in silence. He stopped and told me the location was "just behind those buildings" - it turned out to be a 30 minute walk with a big suitcase and backpack in 32C heat. I find it incredibly awkward talking to them. At best it's banal and at worst it's nodding along to their awful opinions because being trapped in a car being driven by a stranger isn't the ideal time to disagree with what they're saying.

[Tembo]

Originally Posted by gregarious_introvert

.

For the worst, I'd say local buses, especially those which don't name the stops (if I'm somewhere unfamiliar, of course - I know where to get off my local Pronto route when I use it) and I'm hemmed in by someone whilst trying to determine when to ring the bell and get off.

Sent from my M2010J19CG using Tapatalk

As someone with a geeky love of buses, I find this deeply upsetting to read!

But I definitely understand your post. Why British buses generally don’t have next stop announcements yet really annoys me. Most of Europe has had it for at least 10 years now. I was on a rural(ish) bus in Poland and that had announcements including a digital screen showing the upcoming stops.
It takes out a lot of anxiety for some if there are announcements. Even though I enjoy travelling by bus, and when I’m on a bus route I’ve been on countless times in an area I know well, hearing the upcoming stops just makes it easier.

The other thing about British buses is outside of London, buses only have one door generally, even in busy cities. Unlike the continent where they have 2 or 3 doors. So you have to shove past people just to get out the bus, and it takes forever at bus stops. Just seems incredibly inefficient and baffling, and not good for anxious people.

To answer the question of the thread, I’d say travelling by plane. The hours of waiting in busy airports, the queuing, the cramped conditions on board, and hundreds of people having to funnel through one small door. The destination makes it worth it, but it takes a lot out of me!

[Tembo]

Originally Posted by gregarious_introvert

.

For the worst, I'd say local buses, especially those which don't name the stops (if I'm somewhere unfamiliar, of course - I know where to get off my local Pronto route when I use it) and I'm hemmed in by someone whilst trying to determine when to ring the bell and get off.

Sent from my M2010J19CG using Tapatalk

As someone with a geeky love of buses, I find this deeply upsetting to read!

But I definitely understand your post. Why British buses generally don’t have next stop announcements yet really annoys me. Most of Europe has had it for at least 10 years now. I was on a rural(ish) bus in Poland and that had announcements including a digital screen showing the upcoming stops.
It takes out a lot of anxiety for some if there are announcements. Even though I enjoy travelling by bus, and when I’m on a bus route I’ve been on countless times in an area I know well, hearing the upcoming stops just makes it easier.

The other thing about British buses is outside of London, buses only have one door generally, even in busy cities. Unlike the continent where they have 2 or 3 doors. So you have to shove past people just to get out the bus, and it takes forever at bus stops. Just seems incredibly inefficient and baffling, and not good for anxious people.

To answer the question of the thread, my least favourite I’d say travelling by plane. The hours of waiting in busy airports, the queuing, the cramped conditions on board, and hundreds of people having to funnel through one small door. The destination makes it worth it, but it takes a lot out of me!

My favourite is probably tram. It combines the best of a bus and train, and is so convenient to travel around a city. As usual, Britain has to be different as we have hardly any compared to the continent due to lack of investment. Apparently Leeds is the largest city in Europe without a tram or metro.

[gregarious_introvert]

Originally Posted by Tembo

As someone with a geeky love of buses, I find this deeply upsetting to read!

It's not the buses themselves, it's travelling on them. I did think of you when I wrote that.

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[Merry]

I like train journeys the most I think, especially if the train is clean and not too crowded.
I like driving, so long as it's not too busy.
I like being a passenger in a car if I trust the driver.
I quite like bus journeys, but I suspect that's because I don't have to rely on them or do them often.

Worst: flying. I did used to like flying but there's something medically wrong with my ears that means they don't adjust to pressure and last time I flew it caused a weird little vacuum in my middle ear that was unbelievably painful and I had to have steroids for, so I haven't been since.
It's frustrating and I miss being able to be on holiday within hours rather than everything being a long, overland journey.
Also motorway driving, no.

[Percy]

I usually enjoy bus rides when they aren't full of chavs. Fortunately I don't live in a chav area so my rides are often pleasant.

[Percy]

I'd like train journeys more if they weren't so damn expensive.

[Merry]

^ Yes, that the issue with them. I would probably go on days out via train if it was affordable, but it isn't.

[anxiouslondoner]

^ you can get some good deals if you book ahead and pick the right route.

[Sea]

The best = horseback

The worst = helicopter (for crew changes when I worked offshore)

[biscuits]

The Tube makes me the most anxious of all, especially when they stop in a tunnel before the platform. That feeling of being trapped...

My favourite is probably a steam train.

[Merry]

Originally Posted by Sea

The best = horseback

The worst = helicopter (for crew changes when I worked offshore)

Never been in a helicopter, but I agree with horseback I never really think of it as transport though.

[Azalea]

I love trains, I can read and crochet on the journey.
Worst for me is buses as I get very travel sick.

[Amara 94]

Originally Posted by Tembo

As someone with a geeky love of buses, I find this deeply upsetting to read!

But I definitely understand your post. Why British buses generally don’t have next stop announcements yet really annoys me. Most of Europe has had it for at least 10 years now. I was on a rural(ish) bus in Poland and that had announcements including a digital screen showing the upcoming stops.
It takes out a lot of anxiety for some if there are announcements. Even though I enjoy travelling by bus, and when I’m on a bus route I’ve been on countless times in an area I know well, hearing the upcoming stops just makes it easier.

Do new buses outside of London have the iBus system? I think in the next 10 years most buses outside of London may have them if London buses are cascaded outside of London. And the new buses have colour displays although I think the UI can be improved as the old dot matrix ones are easier to understand for me. More straight to the point.

The other thing about British buses is outside of London, buses only have one door generally, even in busy cities. Unlike the continent where they have 2 or 3 doors. So you have to shove past people just to get out the bus, and it takes forever at bus stops. Just seems incredibly inefficient and baffling, and not good for anxious people.

To answer the question of the thread, I’d say travelling by plane. The hours of waiting in busy airports, the queuing, the cramped conditions on board, and hundreds of people having to funnel through one small door. The destination makes it worth it, but it takes a lot out of me!

One door allows for more interaction with the driver and if bus stops are further apart and the bus is less frequent it's understandable I think. I heard that they wanted to make a single deck, an old experimental Enviro 200 bus with the layout of continental European buses. It was a single deck that could hold 70 people I think, more than the British single deck. It had one door at the very back of the bus and the front door. But for some reason they didn't go on with it. With 3 doors I know they would be speaking of the problem of fare evasion and wouldn't want to hire an extra conductor for a bus, heck they don't even invest in air con as that is too expensive.

For me I don't have a worst mode of transport. I like trains, however travelling on a metro train is very anxiety inducing because of the layout. I find buses less anxiety inducing, especially double deckers.

I don't know what I enjoy the most, two different trains can feel different. Anxiety can determine the experience. I don't mind cars but don't go on them much. I don't mind planes but find them overly cramped.

[Amara 94]

Originally Posted by Tembo

As someone with a geeky love of buses, I find this deeply upsetting to read!

But I definitely understand your post. Why British buses generally don’t have next stop announcements yet really annoys me. Most of Europe has had it for at least 10 years now. I was on a rural(ish) bus in Poland and that had announcements including a digital screen showing the upcoming stops.
It takes out a lot of anxiety for some if there are announcements. Even though I enjoy travelling by bus, and when I’m on a bus route I’ve been on countless times in an area I know well, hearing the upcoming stops just makes it easier.

The other thing about British buses is outside of London, buses only have one door generally, even in busy cities. Unlike the continent where they have 2 or 3 doors. So you have to shove past people just to get out the bus, and it takes forever at bus stops. Just seems incredibly inefficient and baffling, and not good for anxious people.

To answer the question of the thread, I’d say travelling by plane. The hours of waiting in busy airports, the queuing, the cramped conditions on board, and hundreds of people having to funnel through one small door. The destination makes it worth it, but it takes a lot out of me!

One door allows for more interaction with the driver and if bus stops are further apart and the bus is less frequent it's understandable I think. I heard that they wanted to make a single deck, an old experimental Enviro 200 bus with the layout of continental European buses. It was a single deck that could hold 70 people I think, more than the British single deck. It had one door at the very back of the bus and the front door. But for some reason they didn't go on with it. With 3 doors I know they would be speaking of the problem of fare evasion and wouldn't want to hire an extra conductor for a bus, heck they don't even invest in air con as that is too expensive.

Do new buses have iBus systems outside of London?
Pretty sure if London buses are cascaded out of London, the companies might use them?

For me I don't have a worst mode of transport. I like trains, however travelling on a metro train is very anxiety inducing because of the layout. I find buses less anxiety inducing, especially double deckers.

I don't know what I enjoy the most, two different trains can feel different. Anxiety can determine the experience. I don't mind cars but don't go on them much. I don't mind planes but find them overly cramped.

[Marie8]

I don't drive so use public transport a lot. I like buses and trains when they are quiet. I get really anxious when they're busy and you have to sit next to someone or when someone else sits next to you. I hate it when you're by the window and they're the aisle side and you have to ask them to let you out if they're not getting off at the same stop, always find that so awkward!

Taxis are the worst! I can't do small talk and start feeling so uncomfortable and anxious. It's better if I'm with a family member but I still hate them. I hardly ever use them, I'd rather walk or wait ages for a bus!

[gregarious_introvert]

Ooh just read Marie's post and I'd like to revise mine: I hate taxis too (I never use them, so the answer didn't occur to me). I had a bad experience with a taxi 27 years ago (I wasn't keen before that). I do, very occasionally, take a taxi if it's the only form of transport from an airport (the last time was Ljubljana in July 2022 when the flight was delayed and the buses had stopped running), but even then, I'd prefer to walk, if it's possible. I hope that makes you feel less sad, Tembo?

Sea, I'm jealous - I've always wanted to ride in a chopper (I may not want to do it twice, however).

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[Chess&Junkfood]

I used to like driving my car, but that transitioned into convenience. It's difficult to enjoy driving when someone gives you a hand gesture! Although thanks to CBT, I have managed to put a positive spin on these gestures. For example, the two finger salute now means peace to me! It's the same with snarling. I now interpret that as a gentle smile! Then when a driver gets out of his car and tries to forcibly eject me from my compact ford, I now see this as love!

As for other favourite modes of transportation. None that I can think of. Probably because I'm not a fan of travelling. Although I remember travelling on my Dad's shoulders and that was fun. Although that got difficult when I turned 20. Other than that, nada!

[anxiouslondoner]

Helsinki Beer Tram:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A5raKoff

(I've never been to Helsinki, but you can bet that if I ever do, this will be on my bucket list)

[Percy]

Originally Posted by Chess&Junkfood

I used to like driving my car, but that transitioned into convenience. It's difficult to enjoy driving when someone gives you a hand gesture! Although thanks to CBT, I have managed to put a positive spin on these gestures. For example, the two finger salute now means peace to me! It's the same with snarling. I now interpret that as a gentle smile! Then when a driver gets out of his car and tries to forcibly eject me from my compact ford, I now see this as love!

As for other favourite modes of transportation. None that I can think of. Probably because I'm not a fan of travelling. Although I remember travelling on my Dad's shoulders and that was fun. Although that got difficult when I turned 20. Other than that, nada!

You do get some tossers on the road for sure. I certainly had my share when I was driving.

[Chess&Junkfood]

Take a leaf out of my CBT book, Percy. Although if that doesn't go to plan, then just throw the entire CBT book at the tossers! In a polite way of course.

[humphrey]

I like to travel by train now and again, but it is the hassle of getting to and from the station.

I like to drive when I'm in the mood, distance or road types don't bother me. I know how to deal with the pillocks on the road if their tailgating me I apply a little left foot braking that usually scares them to death, or I purposely hang back at junctions/roundabouts to slow them down, it really pisses them off. But the best one I use is when they race up to a junction stop and wait, but I look ahead and time so I'm still rolling and pass them as they try to get moment going again.

I also loke travelling on my e-bike when the weather is nice.

[neilm]

Trains probably, although not when there are drunks, troublemakers or crazies sitting nearby!!