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The problem is most places it is just buses. I've come to the conclusion that if you can possibly afford a car then a bus is useless. Let's say you get on the bus and pay your fare. I can jump in my car, and it is free. Yeah I paid for it, but I paid for the bus before I ever got on it too. Now you're on the bus. You can only go to the stops the bus is scheduled to make. In my car I can go wherever I want. But the worst of all is that in a car or a bus you're stuck in the same traffic. Perhaps worse so in a bus since its bigger and slower. Its a little different from a subway which has all the troubles of a bus except its at least fast since it has no traffic to deal with.
The problem is most places it is just buses. I've come to the conclusion that if you can possibly afford a car then a bus is useless. Let's say you get on the bus and pay your fare. I can jump in my car, and it is free. Yeah I paid for it, but I paid for the bus before I ever got on it too. Now you're on the bus. You can only go to the stops the bus is scheduled to make. In my car I can go wherever I want. But the worst of all is that in a car or a bus you're stuck in the same traffic. Perhaps worse so in a bus since its bigger and slower. Its a little different from a subway which has all the troubles of a bus except its at least fast since it has no traffic to deal with.
You're a passenger who doesn't have to deal with the stress of traffic. You get there when you get there. You don't ever have to stop for gas. Only the driver has to worry about that, and they probably have a depot to go to where they refuel. They don't personally have to fork over the cash, or whip out the credit card to pay for it.
I agree that sometimes there are places to go to that aren't on a route, but could be gotten to with just a short walk from a regular stop. Buses don't run here much after 6 p.m., maybe 7 p.m. at the latest, or on Sundays.
I could take a taxi instead, but the bus is much cheaper. I don't have to pay for upkeep. (Actually, I never have--if I have a car, I run it into the ground and get rid of it when it breaks, which it invariably does).
The problem is most places it is just buses. I've come to the conclusion that if you can possibly afford a car then a bus is useless. Let's say you get on the bus and pay your fare. I can jump in my car, and it is free. Yeah I paid for it, but I paid for the bus before I ever got on it too. Now you're on the bus. You can only go to the stops the bus is scheduled to make. In my car I can go wherever I want. But the worst of all is that in a car or a bus you're stuck in the same traffic. Perhaps worse so in a bus since its bigger and slower. Its a little different from a subway which has all the troubles of a bus except its at least fast since it has no traffic to deal with.
The cost to own a car is never ending and insane! If I wasn't forced to own one I would not to be sure!
In fact, I can't think of a single positive thing to say about car ownership that is truth and not advertising.
The only thing that riding the bus costs me is time. I could drive to work and back and save time, but not money. Mass transit in the country is hurting because of the economy. With unemployment high, funding is down for many, so they have to cut service or raise rates. Neither makes much sense. We need to realize that funding for mass transit should be a responsibility of everyone in this country. Even if you don't use it, you are benefiting from it. Reduced cars on the road, equals cleaner air and less congestion.
Riding a bus is far less stressful, in my opinion. Big deal, I have to walk a bit. Big deal, it takes some more of my oh-so-precious time. I don't have to buy gas and maintain a bus, either--I pay and ride. End of story. Driving a car is a pain. Hate 'em. If I didn't have to have one, I'd lose it faster than you could say, "pain in the **s."
Unfortunately I'll be stuck with needing a car/truck in the future, since I'm moving to a more rural setting. At least it's not as stressful driving in an area like that, though.
I can rememebr riding a bus when younger when bus service was much more widespread with much more ridership. We also use to shop that way but the shoping was concentratde downtown then also. I never want to do it aagin. I don't find driving that stressful as bad weather when riding bus or the time involved in busing.Ask anyone who actaully used it then and now;its si a pain in the rear;especailly now that the routing isn't as good with low ridership.
I can rememebr riding a bus when younger when bus service was much more widespread with much more ridership. We also use to shop that way but the shoping was concentratde downtown then also. I never want to do it aagin. I don't find driving that stressful as bad weather when riding bus or the time involved in busing.Ask anyone who actaully used it then and now;its si a pain in the rear;especailly now that the routing isn't as good with low ridership.
I sometimes use it now.
I have a bus schedule that gives me an idea of when to be at the stop. 15 minutes early, and up to 15 minutes late. Half-hour window.
But if I can walk there in 2 hours or less, I just walk.
I use the bus frequently due to not having a car. My big issue is too many routes around here have bad frequencies (every 30min-1hr on Sunday and they finish running at 5pm) and a lack of transfers means that unless you live in Central Sydney, the bus is not a good option.
All public transport should run:
At least every 10mins in peak hour.
At least every 15mins during the day, and on weekends
There is also no reason why *all* buses shouldn't run until midnight at the earliest. Even an hourly service after 9pm would try and stop drinkdriving.
the bus in Chicago can be great or annoying beyond belief depending on traffic and if they are bunched together. But that said, this is a really cool tool to have:
I ran like hell out of my house last week based on this and the bus was right there. Of course, if I hadn't spent 2 minutes firing up the laptop and checking I would have been able to saunter at a more leisurely pace.
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I don't have to buy gas and maintain a bus, either--I pay and ride. End of story. Driving a car is a pain. Hate 'em. If I didn't have to have one, I'd lose it faster than you could say, "pain in the **s."
