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Help with cabs and/or buses in Britain



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Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:17 am
Mea says...



I'm writing a story set in Britain. My character is in Cardiff and needs to travel to London. She has money but no transportation. I want her to use public transportation, but I am not British and don't understand the logistics. I'm actually completely unfamiliar with any public transportation, as I've never lived in a place that has it, and have never really used it. (Besides school buses.) So I have no idea what I'm doing.

What I need to know:

How does the cab system work? How far are they willing to take you and what would the rates be?

Would it be cheaper to take a bus and would it require transferring buses at some point? Would it require detailed knowledge of bus systems to know when to get off and transfer?

The character has no way of connecting to the Internet and likely wouldn't think of doing so, as she is pretty behind with technology. She also doesn't carry a phone.

Thank you!
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Sun Jun 21, 2015 1:48 am
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birk says...



Don't let her get into a cab! It's expensive and they'll rip her off.

Especially when she could easily get on a bus, or even better, a train, which could take her from Cardiff to London. An easy Google search of 'Cardiff to London' will give you overviews of public transports between the two locations, whether it be by car, bus, or train. (Or walking. Which will apparently take you around 50 hours. Put on good shoes!)

A trip from Cardiff to London by either train or bus would take you approximately three and a half to four hours, depending on when you want to leave. There's a chance she'd have to chance buses or trains, and she could also just get there directly. Again, depends on when she wants to depart.

As you said, she has no internet and isn't very tech savy. Getting this information should still be a breeze for her. Just get to the train and bus central and check out the routes.

The cab system? I honestly don't really know how those work. I do know that taking the bus or the train is a lot less expensive, and getting into a cab is quite the investment. So in the end, I'd get on a train.
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Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:43 am
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Rosendorn says...



One question: is she herself a local/British, or is she a visitor? Also, does she/anybody she know travel, or is everyone around her a home body? The answers to both will change how she goes about the answer.

If she's lived in the area a fair chunk, then chances are types of travel in Britain will be somewhat familiar to her. While she might not've taken that exact route, she'll know what routes she can take and what transport options will take her far enough. She'll likely have passed by stations, at least, and would have some place to start.

Even if she hasn't lived in the area, if she has traveled or spoken to a lot of people who travel, then she'll have some idea of what to do. Travel tends to take on the same components around the world, and if you're vaguely familiar with the general system of public transport, you can figure it out relatively easily.

For starters, basically every city with public transport I've been in has maps. These maps are often a little tricky to read, but locals tend to be very friendly and recognizing confused look. Plus many large stations have people dedicated to helping you get from A to B.

The thing about public transport is it's accessible from multiple points. Sometimes, the internet gets it wrong, and other times, phone lines don't work (especially underground). So public transport usually has:
- Paper maps you can take with you
- Personelle in stations
- Friendly locals
- Big maps posted near major routes

So if she is a frequent traveler, and/or knows the area, then she'll probably either know to use those resources or know how to find access to them.

While technology certainly makes travel easier, it's not necessary at all to know how to travel. Even if she has relatively heavy anxiety that makes talking to people difficult, there are still maps you can use alone.
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Sun Jun 21, 2015 3:00 am
Mea says...



Thank you @Birkhoff!

@Rosendorn: To clarify - I am actually writing a Harry Potter/Doctor Who crossover. The character is Hermione. She has crossed over to the Doctor's universe, so she doesn't know anyone and can't be sure that everything works the same in this universe (though it basically does, except without wizards and with the Doctor/aliens). She is somewhat familiar with Cardiff, but since she usually Apparates so she wouldn't have taken a bus there before.
We're all stories in the end.

I think of you as a fairy with a green dress and a flower crown and stuff.
-EternalRain

I think you, @Deanie and I are like the Three Book Nerd Musketeers of YWS.
-bluewaterlily
  





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Sun Jun 21, 2015 3:06 am
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Rosendorn says...



Correct me if I'm wrong— but isn't she Muggleborn? That means she was in our world before she was 11?

When you have access to public transportation, and if you're in any sort of large city, then you're very used to public transportation. Rural kids don't use public transport all that much, but me, growing up in a relatively large city with a decent public transportation system— I remember taking the bus at age 4 and learning how the bus system works by age 9. Now while in my (suburban) area, most kids don't really start taking the bus a lot until they're around 12-13, deeper in the city you do take the bus a lot because it's so much easier than having a car. Not to mention when you have a system of public transport there, usually you know somebody who uses it so you can pick it up.

So just because she used magic in her teen years doesn't mean she didn't use/understand regular public transport before then.
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Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:36 pm
Mea says...



@Rosendorn Yeah, she's Muggleborn, so you're right - she'd be familiar with buses, if not that particular route.


I think I've got it worked out now. Many thanks!
We're all stories in the end.

I think of you as a fairy with a green dress and a flower crown and stuff.
-EternalRain

I think you, @Deanie and I are like the Three Book Nerd Musketeers of YWS.
-bluewaterlily
  





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Sun Jun 21, 2015 1:06 pm
ExOmelas says...



If I were your character I would take the National Rail train. A taxi probably wouldn't take me that far, but I'll use them a lot around London.

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