The cost of traveling in the UK can vary wildly, depending on where you live. In general, if you reside in the larger cities, there tends to be more competition between rival transport operators, be they airlines, trains or coaches, so travelers are likely to pay much less per mile than their cousins. rural. However, if you live a bit out of the way, you may find traveling around the UK much more expensive. And if you live in the sticks, forget about public transport altogether; the infrastructure is simply not there, so a car is the only real alternative to getting around.
So how do the prices match up when it comes to differentiating between air, rail and road travel? For many years, air travel was only for the wealthy, with prices beyond the reach of the masses. However, with the advent of low-cost airlines, competition has increased and prices have fallen dramatically, to the point where a plane ticket can cost the same or less than mainline train tickets. Depending on the company, a cheap return flight ticket between London and Manchester can cost as little as £69, compared favorably to a £110 round trip rail fare! However, low-cost domestic airlines only operate between major airports, which tend to be few and far between, giving the traveler fewer options if they live outside of the country’s major conurbations.
Train operators have come under fire of late, both for the cost of travel and for their inability to meet published schedules. Indeed, Virgin recently lost its cross-country franchise after 10 years of service, mainly due to one in five trains running late, costing the government more than £2m a week in subsidies. Many see this move as the start of price increases for rail travelers as operators will now seek to recover their costs from the public rather than the government.
Traveling by coach is primarily a cheaper alternative to using trains or planes, and in many cases it can be even better than traveling by car. Most coach tours in the UK operate between fixed routes on a schedule, but there are also many charter companies where you can hire a coach to a destination of your choice. This is a practical solution if a group of people want to travel to a special event and, again, can be cheaper than taking the car.
In short, there are many options for traveling around the UK, but most of us still choose to use our own private transport. That is likely to continue until there is huge investment in rail and road infrastructure; Until then, traveling anywhere in the UK will continue to be frustrating, mostly expensive, and largely unsatisfying.
