Public transport- white elephant or viable option?

[Hanuman]

Just to get in the seasonal spirit of being a miserable grumpy git, I offer the chance of debating the increasingly meagre offerings available.

This summer has seen me racking up upto a thousand miles a week, commuting by car between Poole and Gatwick, and dealing with this sudden need to dig up every bloody major route, with numerous illogical diversions, and random road closures.
Sadly, there were no practical alternatives- Rail transport is equally as fraught with delay, repeat failures of signals, power, and a complete lack of customer service; all at a price approaching 50% more than driving.

Several days ago, i had to do the same rail journey on successive days, to Stansted. Day one went fine, and while it would cost £15 more than driving, I wasn't putting miles on the quattro for the sake of it, and I got some work done on the train. Train to waterloo, tube to Liverpool street, train to Stansted.
It was easy. So, suckered in to the convenience, i decided to do the same thing the next day.

5 trains, one bus, a taxi, an hour late just getting to southampton, and even more by the time I reached Stansted, and then more delays leaving Stansted, and resulting in spending nearly double the cost of driving, plus I didn't get there or back relaxed.

The rail staff at Bournemouth were each running to vastly different plans, dependent upon which platform you were on; On the eastbound platform, they told us that a coach service was replacing the rail service up to Southampton, but they didn't know when the coaches would arrive. All due to a signals failure.
Cross to the other platform where they happily informed us that coaches would be arriving shortly, and the situation was down to an electricity failure stopping all electric trains between southampton and bournemouth.
Meanwhile out in the car park were 3 coaches standing waiting for passengers, none of which was allowed to leave until full. The poor woman trying to manage the situation had been told that the line was closed due to an accident on the line.

So
The roads are FUBAR, but at least fuel is more sensibly priced.
The rail network is SNAFU, and financially untenable.
Communications ability between staff is approaching non existent.

Who needs the crazies when we can screw it all up ourselves?

[Flying Frank]

Suggest bed and breakfast at Stansted next time ???

[John.]

......what about?

[Ben]

Like everything that's been privatised, it a shambles. I see using public transport as an adventure, never knowing if you're going to get there anywhere near the time stated on the ticket.