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Cash Strapped Consumers ‘Fare’ Better with Public Transport

19th June 2008:

Translink is urging NI householders, now planning major lifestyle changes and cutbacks in light of the current economic ‘crunch’, to look at public transport as a money-saving solution – with potentially £thousands to be saved annually.*

Evidence of the rising cost of living emerges almost on a daily basis.  Latest figures show essential household bills have risen 27% – some £2000 – since last year.**  Spiralling motoring costs are also a big concern; local fuel prices are up nearly 25% on last year, a litre of petrol is predicted to hit £1.50 this summer and the overall cost of running a car has outpaced inflation by three times since 2003.  Also, taxi fares look set to rise by 23%.***

Translink says that consumers who want to make changes to save money should look at the bus or train as the best choice.  For commuters, this could amount to £thousands over a year, when the overall costs of motoring and parking are taken into account.  Consumers making one-off journeys will also make savings with public transport.

"Motoring is one of the top five household expenses – on average 14% of our overall spend last year.  Keeping a car on the road is clearly becoming more expensive and using it every day will take even more out of the family budget,” says Ciaran Rogan of Translink.**** 

“As we all face price hikes at the petrol and diesel pumps, public transport has always been a great value choice.  In the current economic climate, it can make a real difference to the amount of cash left in your pocket.”  

“Use Translink multi-journey bus and rail tickets, any of our promotional offers, or a student discount card, to make the big savings and of course those aged 65 travel completely free,” he continued.  “Millions more people have made the choice to use the bus or train each day.*****  Not only is it better value, it is relaxing, comfortable, frequent and fast.  Extra perks are no parking hassle or stress from congestion.  Of course public transport is also the best choice for sustainable development and living.    Use the bus and train – save money, save time and save the planet!”

How Public Transport Can Save You Money

Commuting (and the combined school run) is one of the most frequent journeys made by NI consumers every day.  Government figures show 82% of us are making this daily commute by car (Travel Survey for NI 2004-2006).   As well as enduring the stress of ‘going nowhere’ in severe traffic congestion, Translink says that this group is also taking the most expensive travel option, when the overall costs of motoring and parking charges are counted.

Taking several typical Belfast commuter routes, Translink compares the total cost by car (AA ‘cost per mile’ data, plus parking charges) against the cost of the public transport option.  In each case, commuters fare much better with public transport, with big savings to be made in the course of a year (see Tables 1 to 3 below):

• Antrim Road to Belfast City Centre by Metro – save £1532.70 per working year (10 months)
• Newtownabbey to Belfast City Centre by Metro – save £2510.30 per working year
• Lisburn to Belfast City Centre by NI Railways – save £2274.30 per working year
• Carrickfergus to Belfast City Centre by NI Railways – save £2666.20 per working year
• Bangor to Belfast City Centre by NI Railways – save £2572.10 per working year
• Larne to Belfast City Centre by Ulsterbus – save £3748.50 per working year
• Magherafelt to Belfast City Centre by Ulsterbus – save £3962.70 per working year

Table 1: Private Car versus Metro (Belfast City bus service)

*Based on AA evaluation of overall running costs of a new / nearly new car priced at £10-£13k, travelling an average 10,000 miles per year, and current petrol prices of 115.9ppl (cheapest Belfast supermarket price)  www.theaa.co.uk  This gives a cost of 46.65 pence per mile. NB: These per mile costs increase dramatically in line with increased car value. 

**Based on average daily city centre parking rates of £5 per day x 21 days

Table 2: Private Car versus NI Railways

*Based on AA evaluation of overall running costs of a new / nearly new car priced at £10-£13k, travelling an average 10,000 miles per year, and current petrol prices of 115.9ppl (cheapest Belfast supermarket price)  www.theaa.co.uk  This gives a cost of 46.65 pence per mile. NB: These per mile costs increase dramatically in line with increased car value. 

**Based on average daily city centre parking rates of £5 per day x 21 days

Table 3: Private Car versus Ulsterbus

*Based on AA evaluation of overall running costs of a new / nearly new car priced at £10-£13k, travelling an average 15,000 miles (Larne commuter) and 20,000 (Magherafelt commuter) per year, and current petrol prices of 115.9ppl (cheapest Belfast supermarket price)  www.theaa.co.uk.  This gives a cost of 37.5 pence per mile (Larne commuter) and 33.1 pence per mile (Magherafelt commuter).  NB: These per mile costs increase dramatically in line with increased car value. 

**Based on average daily city centre parking rates of £5 per day x 21 days

Table 4: One-Off Journeys – Private Car Versus Public Transport Alternatives

And it’s not just frequent travellers who can save cash as Translink goes on to show that important savings can also be made on one-off journeys. 

*Based on AA evaluation of overall running costs of a new / nearly new car priced at £10-£13k, travelling an average 10,000 miles per year, and current petrol prices of 115.9ppl (cheapest Belfast supermarket price)  www.theaa.co.uk  This gives a cost of 46.65 pence per mile.  NB: These per mile costs increase dramatically in line with increased car value. 

Other ‘Routes’ to Saving Money with Translink 

Multi-Journey Ticket Discounts: Buying ‘in bulk’ using Translink’s Multi-Journey Smartcard for bus (Metro, Ulsterbus and Goldline) and NI Railways weekly / monthly cards, offers considerable savings on bus and rail travel.  For example, on Goldline you could save up to 32% by having a Smartcard. 

Ulsterbus Day Ticket: £1.70 day ticket, allows passengers unlimited travel on services within the town service boundary throughout the day on which the ticket is purchased.

Metro Day Ticket: Travel anywhere on Metro all day for £2.50 after 10 am, Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday – or for £3.50 before 10am Monday to Saturday.

Off-Peak Users: Throughout the year, it is possible to take advantage of high value discounts on bus and rail services.  This summer, for example, NI Railways is offering 1/3 off the price of a standard day return ticket for anyone travelling between any two NI Railways stations after 9.30am.

Airport Transport: Getting away from it all can also prove more expensive than anticipated with airport parking for two weeks costing a minimum of £66.00, in addition to motoring costs to get there. Savings can be made with Translink offering frequent airport services from the Europa Bus Centre direct to:

• Belfast International Airport – every 10 minutes and hourly throughout the night
• George Best Belfast City Airport – every 20 minutes
• Dublin Airport – every hour, 24 hours every day

Students:  Students – and parents – will agree that with a Translink Student Discount Card, it makes sense to leave the car behind.  The Card costs £7 per annum and provides:

• up to 50% on single fares on cross border Enterprise services
• up to 33% discount on NIR adult single fares
• up to 15% discount on Ulsterbus standard adult fares of £2 and over. 
  

This can mean £hundreds savings on public transport each year – and potentially much more on private car usage.  The Translink Student Discount Card is available to all students on a fulltime course of full time professional training in NI, Republic of Ireland and GB. School pupils in full-time education from the age of 16 are also eligible.

Seniors: Everyone aged 65 in NI is entitled to completely free public transport across Ireland, with a Translink Senior Smart Pass.  With public transport making access easy to a whole host of destinations, Translink urges all eligible seniors to obtain their free travel Smartpass – and then use it to the maximum to save money and get more out of life through travel. 

Young People/Children
A 50% reduction is available on all local, cross border and cross channel fares to young persons from 5 years of age until the date when their compulsory education finishes (i.e. children will be entitled to half-fare concession up to the 30th June after their sixteenth birthday).  Between 16 and 21 years of age concession fares are available on rail season tickets only.

Jobseekers/Gateway
Reduced bus and rail fares are available to any person currently unemployed and actively seeking employment, or any person on the Gateway period of the New Deal Initiative, on production of an authenticated permit and JS40.

Ends

For further information please contact Dana McCusker / Keelin Kelly at Morrow Communications.  Tel: 028 9039 3837 / 0777 333 6249.

Notes to Editors

*NI Consumers Preparing to Make Cutbacks

According to Mintel’s ‘Irish Lifestyles 2008’ report, NI consumers are now prepared to make major lifestyle cutbacks.   Around 50% plan to reduce spending on grocery bills and other household items; 38% plan to save money on entertainment and eating out; 27% say they intend to buy fewer new clothes, shoes or jewellery; 16% say they would cancel DIY and home improvements; and 12% are preparing to cut back on family treats. 65% are committed to taking action to improve their health and reduce stress levels. (www.mintel.com/ireland)

**The Cost of Living

-NI Consumer Council – report 29.05.08

-Inflation: The rate of inflation is calculated from the prices of a range of different goods and services including fuel, food, and energy selected to represent average spending patterns in the UK – is escalating.  In the year to April 2008, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 3%, up from 2.5% in March.  The ‘all-items’ Retail Prices Index (RPI), which includes housing costs, rose by 4.2 per cent in the year to April 2008, up from 3.8% in March.  (www.incomesdata.co.uk)

 ***Motoring Costs

-Fuel Prices: The AA Fuel Report for May 2008 states that in the past month, diesel prices have risen by their highest margin this century and are now almost 12ppl more expensive than petrol. High oil prices, breaking through the $125 mark, have also fuelled a near-record rise in petrol prices.  Projections are that petrol will hit an unprecedented £1.50ppl price tag by summer.  (www.theaa.com). Independent pricing monitor ‘uswitch’ estimates that by the end of the year, it will cost an average of £84 to fill the petrol tank of an average family car.  (www.uswitch.com)

 -Overall Cost of Running a Car: Research just out by the Centre for Policy Studies has revealed that the cost of keeping an average family car on the road has risen at three times the rate of inflation in the last five years.   The cost of running an average 2-litre new car, driving 12,000 miles a year with average levels of maintenance and insurance costs, has increased by 34% between 2002 and 2008.  Vehicle taxes have also increased by 50%.  For those driving 1.5 litre cars, costs have risen by 29% over the same period, and taxes by 45%. (Centre for Policy Studies)

-Taxi Fares Rise: Reported BBC NI News, Monday 26 May 2008.

****Motoring Costs as Percentage of Household Costs: The 2007 Family Spending Report from the Office of National Statistics puts motoring costs in the UK (including NI) as one of the top five household expenses – in 2007, accounting for an average 14% of annual expenditure.  Housing costs and leisure goods and services each come in at 19%, food and drink at 18%, and household services, fuel and power at 9%. Motoring costs therefore represent a fairly hefty percentage of household expenditure.  (The Northern Ireland Family Expenditure Survey Report, December 2007).  NB: This percentage is set to increase greatly in line with rising motoring costs.

*****Public Transport Growth: Translink reports significant growth in public transport usage in recent years: Metro uptake has increased by 20% since its launch in 2005; Goldline is up more than 20% since it was re-launched in 2004, and NI Railways has grown 40% since 2002. (www.translink.co.uk) 

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