Rip off Britian...is it really ?

RimBlock said:
Buying a car. In Singapore first you have to bid for a COE (certificate of entitlement) as you need one of these in order to be able to own a car. This is the governments way of limiting the number of cars on the road. The COE currently goes for around S$14,000. Then you have to buy the car. A Mitsubishi Evo X new is currently S$153,000, a Mazda 6 is S$89,000. There is almost no second hand market and if you take the car off the road before the entitlement period for the COE validity (10 years) runs out you can get some of the cost back (sales tax on new cars has just been lowered from 110% to 100%). For example if you take the car off the road perminantly after 3 years you can get 50% of the tax back. There is also road tax at around S$100 / month, parking charges which could easily be another S$100 / month and charges for using the toll roads (most of central Singapore). That is without petrol, insurance and maintenance.
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Car prices are kept artificially high by the government, as part of their measures against congestion and pollution. (Hence the plethora of taxes, licences, permits & restrictions). It's a bloody good policy tbh - though I'm sure it's frustrating if you're accustomed to driving everywhere. I know it would drive me nuts at first.

You forgot to mention that Singapore is impeccably clean (cleanest city in the world IIRC) with a no-nonsense attitude to crime and the safest streets on the planet (rivalled only by Japan's).
 
HEADRAT said:
It's a small world, I agree with your sentiments bus travel ;)

Also remember that the A14 is one of the most congested roads in the country due to terrible planning by the Department for Transport, given this they have just given the go ahead to build something like 10,000 new homes!

http://www.northstowe.uk.com/index.asp?PageID=1

CRAZY!
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+ the effect of Mereham on the A10 if that happens! That will only add to A14 traffic.
 
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Evangelion said:
Car prices are kept artificially high by the government, as part of their measures against congestion and pollution. (Hence the plethora of taxes, licences, permits & restrictions). It's a bloody good policy tbh - though I'm sure it's frustrating if you're accustomed to driving everywhere. I know it would drive me nuts at first.
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It's a perfectly valid policy, and one I'd support here too, if you have a good public transport system.

However, we do not have a good public transport system in this country.
 
Sorry aint read throught the thread, just saw the title .. and am at work i gotta be quick but .............

I was at the airport the other week and it was £7.50 for a cooked breakfast 2 x bacon, 1 x egg 2 x sausage and i slice of toast ..... i think thats a rip off :eek:

I always think when visitors come to England the last thing they think of before getting on their planes .... bloody rip off !!! especially compared to there countries
 
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Admiral Huddy said:
hmm an Oyster card would come very handy on the "One" service and the buses around Chelmsford :p

The example I made was for a one off journey. Why would you buy an Oyster card for such.. It's nothing but a total rip off imo.
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You can hardly complain about the tube fares if you don't pick up an oyster card. It takes two seconds to get given a card and the person can put the money you need for the journey on it there and then. Pretty much the same as going up to the ticket machine and buying a non-oyster ticket. The oyster card is in place for good reason. And there's nothing stopping you just having an oyster card in your wallet all the time just in case you go to London, and then you have one to hand. Plus you don't "buy" an oyster card.

colinuk said:
1 day meeting in london...

car - £50 on fuel.
coach - £30 return
Train - £180.......... yup ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY POUNDS....
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How on earth did you manage to make it cost £180 for a train from Manchester/Leeds (according to your location) to London?
 
Carzy said:
How on earth did you manage to make it cost £180 for a train from Manchester/Leeds (according to your location) to London?
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If you need to arrive in London before 10am (say for a meeting as an example) then you're looking at a Full Standard Open Return which is £192 from Leeds. I know this because I had to do that exact journey on Monday.
 
Carzy said:
You can hardly complain about the tube fares if you don't pick up an oyster card. It takes two seconds to get given a card and the person can put the money you need for the journey on it there and then. Pretty much the same as going up to the ticket machine and buying a non-oyster ticket. The oyster card is in place for good reason. And there's nothing stopping you just having an oyster card in your wallet all the time just in case you go to London, and then you have one to hand. Plus you don't "buy" an oyster card.
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Yes I can and i did :p You are fogetting about people who don't use the tube that often etc.. Where is the incentive to make people use public transport? Are you saying the a single fair between Liverpool St and Bank (as an example) is a fair price to pat? Because I don't. You also have to remember that it was only a few years ago when a single trip was 80p and it's not that long ago either. |So they've over inflated the price due to restrictions imposed by the car charge. Basically, they have you by the short and curly whirly's (Yumm).
 
It also seems people think you can use "off peak" fares, if you've got to get to work then you're pretty much going to be paying "full whack". This always makes me laugh when you here a Government Minister going on about "congestion", it's called the rush hour matey, when most of us have to get to work!
 
Although Britain isn't the most expensive or "rip off" countries to live in I still feel the term is justified. Paying VAT on top of Fuel Duty for example.

Could be worse but could be a hell of a lot better.
 
HEADRAT said:
It also seems people think you can use "off peak" fares, if you've got to get to work then you're pretty much going to be paying "full whack". This always makes me laugh when you here a Government Minister going on about "congestion", it's called the rush hour matey, when most of us have to get to work!
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I am going to work @ 4am and coming home at 9pm. Only costs me 4p on the train. :rolleyes:

Sometimes I think the Government could not be more stupid.
 
Carzy said:
How on earth did you manage to make it cost £180 for a train from Manchester/Leeds (according to your location) to London?
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I checked the internet, i needed to get to London the next day, sure you can get cheap tickets, if you book before your born.. but if you want it within the same month, dont expect to pay less than £150.

that was Leeds to Lonond and back again in the same day... I cant understand the pricies, its not like the train isnt going that way anyway, should be cheaper the closer you book, like planes, rather than costing more.

IMO of course...

I got the coach and slept...
 
FishFluff said:
If you need to arrive in London before 10am (say for a meeting as an example) then you're looking at a Full Standard Open Return which is £192 from Leeds. I know this because I had to do that exact journey on Monday.
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o.O where in Leeds you working? hope its not near the bus station of delightful people :)

ColiN
 
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