We haven't got a car
Although my wife passed the driving theory test, scored 99 out of 100, but she failed three practical tests. The car under her control always seems wobbling.
The tuition fee was so expensive, from £12 to £15 then rise to £20 one lesson. It is said that now the driving lessons fee has already risen to £30 one lesson. So she gave up, and said, we Chinese has a proverb: anything good or bad should be no more than three. Is that the "Three Strike Law"?, "Three strikes, and you are out." Her decision seems reasonable because of economical condition, although her tutor adviced that she should never give up. Certainly he should, or how he or his colleague make a living?
After my wife failed the second, I suggested her half jokingly to bribe the examiner. because I read from a newspaper that somebody did same for a driving license, and also on a TV show in which an old woman broke all the obstacles, barriers and rushed over a Barbie doll, but she got her driving license 15 years ago only for 100 quids.
But my wife said she would be nervous, and wouldn't take the risk of making bigger mistake or even crashing into another car, and not sure if the examiner would take the money. In China, some 3,000 RMB (about two hundred pounds, which includes Driving Class AND Tests) can guarantee a driving license, even you never attend the class and take a test. My brother-in-law hired a graduate to sit theory examination for him, and asked his friend to drive home his new car from the car dealer. Because he never learned how to drive properly, so he always speeds his car suddenly and use the brake too much, his car consumes one-third more fuel than others. After my youngest brother's wedding feast, he had couple of pints of beer and glasses of wine, he even offered my uncle a lift home. My wife listened to me carefully, but determined to come clean on her driving license, and failed her third test.
When my daughter was born, we learned from the antenatal class that it's against the law without an appropriate car safety seat/booster for baby. So we were quited worried about how we could bring our baby home from hospital after discharged. No relatives, have friends but live far away, could we ask our colleague's help? or maybe just push back her in the pram? but that's a long walk in freezing windy dark winter evening, at last I went a taxi to ask if they had a car with baby safety seat. They said no, but no problem to lift us home. I reminded the manager that it's against the law, but he just shrugged off with a smile. We were quite happy that the problem solved, and laughed at those silly rules only fit for insurance company's excuse not to pay out the compensation.
Now my daughter is three, she goes to school everyday. One day, she saw our neighbour going to picnic in a car, she cried and screamed for a car. She saw her friends went in to a car after school, and ran after her best friend George into his car! She wanted her own car, too. She said: "I want a pink car!" I had to tell her that George's home was far away, he had to take a car. "But our home is near, only five minutes walk, we needn't. See, there are so many friends walking!" Good girl remembered this after I educated her several times, whenever she sees her friend going into a car she will say: "his home is far away!"
Bus Instead
It's expensive to maintain a car, tax, insurance, fuel, car park charges, maintenance fee, or might be some fines for overspeed, break redlight, etc, even smoke in a car then threw the butts out of the window. When I worked in a Chinese takeaway, my boss was caught smoking in his car and threw his cigarette but out of the window, he paid £50 fine to the city council for dropping litter on the road.
So no way to buy a car. All those expenses could be enough for bus tickets or even taxi sometimes. But the reality is when we have not got our own car, we don't count those cost when we prepare to travel. We compare among taking a bus or taking a walk or ordering a taxi, certainly walking is much cheaper because walking cost us nothing but longer time. If it's too far, and impractical to walk, we'll take a bus, or if there are too much shopping bags, suitcases, not convenient to take a bus, we may order a taxi, but we always have alternative cheaper solutions, such as a daily bus ticket instead of taxi.
We always take Arriva Bus when we moved to Derby, because Arriva Daily bus ticket is only £3.30, so we can go anywhere and do all the shopping.
One representative goes to city centre instead of all the family members.