Burger here, I’ve been living in Yurp for a while now but still haven’t made it to the UK. As a 'mercan I take it with a grain of salt when Euros tell me transit is “bad” anywhere, but I do hear its supposed to be “bad” outside of London.
Do you guys own cars? Is owning a car necessary to live where you are?
Depends on where you need to get to, and how much money you have. Intercity trains are “ok” but can cost an arm and a leg. Bus quality is super variable throughout the country. But if your used to USA you will be surprised at how many places you can walk to.
It really depends on your travel plans and needs. If you have time on your side and are mostly just visiting cities then trains and National Express coaches will serve almost as well as a car with a little planning.
If you want to head into the wilds of highland Scotland, then a car will probably be necessary.
I personally wouldn’t want to live here without a car, but that comes with a few caveats.
- I don’t want to live in or near cities. I live in a well-connected area (as in there’s a motorway) but quite far from nearby cities.
- I don’t expect to be able to drive in cities. I make plenty use of park and ride which, in my experience tends to be very good.
- trains are insanely expensive here. The tories played a big brain move and privatised the trains companies, so now they’re essentially priced to the point of being unusable.
Elaborating on trains. Availability tends to be spotty (trains don’t run overnight and end ridiculously early, for instance). Price tends to be SUBSTANTIALLY more expensive, even if you’re driving alone, and even if you factor in running costs. Slap a mate in the passenger seat and split the cost, and you’re both saving a ton of money, and possibly time.
I find trains are often relatively affordable but you have to have a good understanding of the system. For example, an anytime return between Manchester to London on the direct train can be £300 which people are rightly outraged by.
But you can buy Split Tickets for part of the journey, and/or take different trains to cut the costs down. You can do Manchester to London return, even booking only the week before, for £50, if you go via Crewe and take the comfier and less crowded, but slightly slower, West Midlands Rail train.
You shouldn’t have to know the system so well to get cheap fares, but it’s not impossible to do
In and between cities, it’s feasible (obviously easiest in and around London). Train tickets are expensive, but fine for occasional use.
In rural areas, almost impossible. Buses are unreliable, slow and very limited. I try to keep car use down, but in a suburb that’s hard, let alone proper countryside. At least the wealthy rural folk seem to be embracing EVs.
Fellow American ex-pat. I lived in the UK for many years, am now in France. I lived in Sussex, Norwich, Brighton and Oxford, and the only time I didn’t use my car every day was when I lived very close to the rail station in Sussex. And paid £3000 a year for a gold card (it’s a lot more now).
The buses can be very expensive (looking at you Norwich), and and are often slower than walking (Brighton knows I’m talking about it). Having a folding bike was essential, if that’s a possibility. Definitely check your city first.