Should there be public transport in London on Xmas Day?

[Oxpecker]

Which means you already get more time off than almost everyone else!

And your point is?

My point was that in the middle of a huge city it's a rare jewel to have a day of peace and quiet.

 

[Isambard]

Everyone's allowed a personal point of view.

The tram driver in I know in a large European city tells me that there's enough staff willing to take the bonus payments to work all the holidays.

No populated area more than 10 minutes walk from at least a 3 times an hour public transport service, 18 hours a day. Every day.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Surely with London's multiracial/multifaith makeup, there must be large swathes of transport workers now who don't celebrate Christmas at all. I don't see why the service couldn't be run, albeit on a reduced basis. People who have to get somewhere on Christmas Day, and can't afford cabs, are pretty much stuffed... I remember my friend having to walk from Gants Hill to Plaistow... Actually that's not too bad a walk. Coiuld have been worse...

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Would you like to have to work on Christmas day? I know I wouldn't and expecting other (non essential workers) to do so is hypocritical.

But plenty of people in London, as I said, are of different faiths and so don't wish to celebrate Christmas at all.

 

[jæd]

And your point is?

My point was that in the middle of a huge city it's a rare jewel to have a day of peace and quiet.

If you want peace and quiet then move to the countryside...!

 

[1927]

It really is about time that as a nation - not just London - we got over this ridiculous idea that everything has to stop/close on 25 December. As others have pointed out, it didn't always used to be like this - hell, they even used to play a full football programme on Xmas day up to the 60's - and most people these days seem to want more choice on what they can do on the 25th. I know of no other country that has this archaic slavish devotion to this one day, which now is not even a slightly religious festival for the vast majority of the populace, and for a variety of reasons it's becoming less of one each year. We ought to treat it more like Easter - which in fact is a more important time for Christianity, for what it's worth.

Exactly,and we are actually in a better position to run services on xmas day now due to the higher numbers of workers of a non christian faith. If, in an attempt not to offend other faiths we no longer use the word Christmas,then the least they can do is work over the xmas period,seeing as they have no interest or reason to celebrate. Shouldnt even have to pay them overtime rates!

 

[guinnessdrinker]

maybe not: but if you live in hackney you might well need it to get to your regular drinking establishment.

start fighting to save your local then.

 

[Isambard]

start fighting to save your local then.

You're local isn't necesaarily the NEAREST bar is it? I walk past SEVEN other licencsed premises to get to my local!

It's my best mates local too and for him its four tube stops and then he passes SIX liscensed prmises between the tube station and the pub.

 

[guinnessdrinker]

You're local isn't necesaarily the NEAREST bar is it? I walk past SEVEN other licencsed premises to get to my local!

It's my best mates local too and for him its four tube stops and then he passes SIX liscensed prmises between the tube station and the pub.

I like my locals to be within crawling distance....

 

[Isambard]

I like my locals to be within crawling distance....

Mine is, its only 2 streets away but I still have to stagger past 7 other pubs on the way, lot of pubs where I live.

Of the 4 "normal" ie non-gay working class pubs on my street and the next, 3 have closed (the ones I would frequent) including my old "local". Turned into yuppie "bahs" / bistros / "lounges"

The only one left is at the corner of my street and I've been in there twice in 10 years. Don't much care for the racist / homophobic sneering to be honest.

So people have to often travel to their "local" is what I'm trying to say.