I suppose that depends on where you live Geoff. I did have a problem with my car last year which ended up with it in for repair for a few days. Local train service was ok but bus was non-existent before 9.30am. Without getting a flat nearer to the hospital, without a car it would seriously limit my ability to get into work.
Not sure if you saw the article in IET's magazine recently on the Beeching report and closure of the railways, but it showed the pre-beeching railway map and compared it to today. The south west and Wales was devastated with communities cut off. The deregulation of the buses didn't improve things, a few years ago the local bus service use to be OK, but with the decline of council supported services you only get a bus when a company can make a significant profit.
Thus in some areas without a car you're up the proverbial creek without no paddle.
