Public Transportation in Britain

British public transportation can look impressive or dismal, depending on your perspective. The British public transport network will really wow a North American visitor due to the extent of its connections and its relatively low cost compared to public transport options in the United States or Canada, even compared to a big city like New York or Vancouver.

However, the British are less than impressed, since this system has actually reduced its reach in terms of where it goes and the number of stops in the past thirty years since the train system was privatized. Also, the British trains are notorious throughout Europe for showing up late or not at all. However, any traveler should take note that many Brits use public transportation on a daily basis in lieu of a car. Therefore, after the initial shock and scramble of figuring things out, a visitor to the United Kingdom (meaning: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) will find the public transport system quite useful.

London has the Underground (AKA "The Tube"), which operates much like New York's transit system and has a network of lines similar to large European cities like Paris or Barcelona. However, most British transport occurs above ground. In London and other cities, for example, you can take a city bus or a taxi. Even large regional cities like Edinburgh or Newcastle lack London's metro system, but even smaller cities have an extensive city bus system. Though much of Britain is rural, you can get a bus to most places.

The most important network is the train system, which operates regionally. You can get a train from London over to Cardiff, down to Torquay or all the way up to Perth. It takes eight or nine hours to go from Edinburgh in Scotland to Bristol in southwest England, though this can vary considerably depending on how many switches you make between trains and whether or not they're on time. Prices fluctuate according to whether you go first or business class, what train line you take, where you want to go, what time of the day you want to go, how far ahead you buy a ticket and what kind of ticket you buy.

Same day, fixed-date return (round-trip), off-peak and single-train tickets are cheapest, as is buying a ticket at least a month in advance or getting a Young Person Railway card. The Young Person Railway card gets you a discount of 30%. However, to get it, you have to be under 35, or going to school in Britain full-time. You can also get rail passes, but be careful, as some of these may require more travel by train within a set period than you want to make to be worth it. You may also have to buy them before you come to Britain, as they may only be available to travelers from outside the UK.

Try to avoid travelling during rush hour (generally between seven and 10 in the morning and three and six in the afternoon), as this is more expensive. The price also goes up if you make more than one connection instead of going on a straight shot to your destination on a single train. It also takes longer.

Britain has regional busses like National Express that go all over the country. They are much cheaper than the train, but they also take a lot longer. Going from St Andrews to London, for example, can take up to 30 hours on the bus.

You can also take the plane. You can fly on British Midlands, which services such big cities as London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast, or you can try a cheap airline like easyJet or Ryanair. It's more expensive than the train or bus. Also, if you count the time getting to the airport, it takes longer for shorter distances. But many people use the regional planes for longer trips and to make transfers to international flights through London. EasyJet and Ryanair also both have flights directly to Ireland and Europe. Just be careful making your own transfers between flights as you'll have to pay for a new ticket if you come in late and miss your next flight.

Finally, you can travel by hydroplane ferry from Troon (south of Glasgow in Scotland) to Belfast in Northern Ireland. The ferry is reasonably cheap and the flight across the Irish Sea can be lovely. Pack your Dramamine, though, if you go in a storm. When the weather turns nasty, the sea can get rough.