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Old 01-03-2020, 01:04 PM
 
17,143 posts, read 11,986,639 times
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I work from home so no real fixed commute. But often head to the airport. That's a 13 minute drive/Lyft....or 1hr 14 minutes by bus with 4 connections to make.

I can't imagine why anyone would take the bus in that situation if they could drive or get an Uber/Lyft. An extra 2hr daily commute with a bunch of connections is a lot of stress/lost sleep on top of the basic disadvantage of being amongst a herd of people.
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Old 01-03-2020, 01:57 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notnamed View Post
I work from home so no real fixed commute. But often head to the airport. That's a 13 minute drive/Lyft....or 1hr 14 minutes by bus with 4 connections to make.

I can't imagine why anyone would take the bus in that situation if they could drive or get an Uber/Lyft. An extra 2hr daily commute with a bunch of connections is a lot of stress/lost sleep on top of the basic disadvantage of being amongst a herd of people.
FOUR connections to go 13 minutes? That seems far fetched even in a small American metro.

Do you not have a bus that goes downtown or to another transit hub, and then a bus that goes from there to the airport?

Your general point is correct though. I can personally commute an hour by bus, including about 25 minutes of walking, or I can just drive 15 minutes.
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Old 01-03-2020, 03:44 PM
 
17,143 posts, read 11,986,639 times
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Originally Posted by ferraris View Post
FOUR connections to go 13 minutes? That seems far fetched even in a small American metro.

Do you not have a bus that goes downtown or to another transit hub, and then a bus that goes from there to the airport?

Your general point is correct though. I can personally commute an hour by bus, including about 25 minutes of walking, or I can just drive 15 minutes.
This is for Vancouver, WA across the river to Portland airport.

First to Van Mall Transit Center, then Fisher's Landing Transit Center, then Parkrose/Summer Transit Center, then walk to the Max line to the airport.

What should be a straight shot down I-205 meanders well off to the east, then overshoots the airport exit and continues south. It's insane. Especially since I'm starting that route at a major transit center going to the local airport. 37 stops on the way!

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Vanc...897694!3e3!5i1
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Old 01-03-2020, 09:10 PM
 
6,400 posts, read 3,877,074 times
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Originally Posted by ferraris View Post
I've had far more "encounters" from drivers with road rage than with people on the bus.
I imagine it depends where you live. I have a friend who worked in Detroit and stopped riding the bus after the time someone smashed out the window with a brick so they could enter and rob people on the bus, driver too dumb to hit the gas and get them out of there. Doubt she ever had road rage like that. (Wasn't the only time she ever saw an issue; that was just the worst one and the final straw.)
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Old 01-03-2020, 09:20 PM
 
30,862 posts, read 36,779,881 times
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Originally Posted by K12144 View Post
And possible violence.
But you're more likely to die in a car accident than in an accident using public transportation. In the same way that 90% of us think we're above average drivers, we tend to think we're more in control when we drive, and thus 'safer', but it isn't true. 36,750 people died in car crashes in 2018.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...es/1478103001/
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Old 01-04-2020, 01:53 AM
 
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
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I live in a neighborhood on the edge of Copenhagen. We have 4 grocery stores, 4 cafe/restaurants, an apothecary, maybe 6 barbers, 2 beauty shops, 3 vets, untold numbers of doctor and dentist offices, 1 toy store, 2 shoe stores, 3 flower shops, at least 4 bicycle shops, a seamstress/taylor shop, and ..... The farthest my wife and I have to walk to and from each of these is about 1 km. We normally walk about 3 km a day, doing our shopping and/or chores. In addition, we have a small lake nearby that allows us to walk another 4-10 km, which we do often for exercise. The center of Copenhagen is about 7km away. In the summer we walk there and back, and in the winter we take a bus + metro. I'm 76, wife is 67. Walking is better than a bus.
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Old 01-04-2020, 08:19 AM
 
Location: SW Florida
14,847 posts, read 11,978,561 times
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Originally Posted by Parnassia View Post
Choosing to take a bus or driving a car is hereditary? Hmm, learn something new every day!

Pretty difficult to tease something like that out. So many variables. You could suggest several things however:

Someone who uses mass transit might end up being more relaxed and easy going because they don't arrive at work or back home stressed out, angry, and tired by a long commute. They might be a little bit healthier. A person who believes they are doing something responsible and good by using mass transit may end up having more self esteem, which could translate into better health. OTOH, someone asserting their independence and being confident enough to commute on their own everyday may feel the same way.

People who cannot stand giving up control to others (like a bus schedule or a bus driver) might be more likely to have anxiety issues. They may be too uptight, aggressive Type A personalities to ever give up driving their own car. I worked for someone just like this. She was a complete control freak, didn't trust anyone, and was very unpleasant.

But, on the other hand, if someone must use mass transit because they can't keep a driver's license due to physical or behavioral problems or substance abuse, they aren't necessarily healthy.

A person could be too paranoid to drive a car themselves. A person could be too paranoid to trust a bus driver or other passengers on the bus.
I don't know about health comparisons, I'd think basically it's a wash. If I had my druthers, given a decent public transportation system, personally I'd prefer riding buses, light rail ( ie, leaving the driving to others) when I commuted to work and other obligations, especially in crowded, traffic-ridden urban areas. Sure, you'd spend that travel time in close proximity to other souls who might be carrying lordy only knows what potentially contagious pathogens, but you'd also have that risk anywhere you go where people congregate.

To me the tradeoff of public transportation vs. driving is less stress in dealing with that constant traffic, trying to navigate around aggressive and who gives a damn drivers, vying for not enough parking in city and other urban areas, ie, the challenges of getting to your destination reasonably timely, and unscathed.
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Old 01-04-2020, 09:28 AM
 
337 posts, read 205,684 times
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Originally Posted by mike1003 View Post
What about the extreme stress of getting up early and home late to catch a bus in all weather because someone cant afford a car?
Actually, that would be the best case scenario imo. Because early and late buses tend to be less crowded. There are ways to avoid crowds riding the bus. As far as weather, yeah it sucks, but in some sick way I feel so alive when I am outside in the extreme elements, like I am really living. I am weird I know. Thanks for your question!
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Old 01-04-2020, 09:41 AM
 
337 posts, read 205,684 times
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Originally Posted by ferraris View Post
I agree there are just too many factors to make a broad statement.

I would lean towards public transit commuting being a little healthier if the transit system is decent. But if you have to worry about unreliable or infrequent service, overcrowding, solving the "last mile" of the commute, and overcrowding, then it becomes pretty stressful.

The positives are that you are outside in your community and around people in a way that isn't as isolating, dangerous, or sedentary as driving. Also you might be able to have one less car at home, or even no car, which eliminates a lot of stress and costs.



I've had far more "encounters" from drivers with road rage than with people on the bus.
I've had the same experience as you with the road rage and driving vs. people riding the bus. Most drivers will get irritated at buses, but will not engaged in confrontation with a huge vehicle like a bus.
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Old 01-04-2020, 09:52 AM
 
337 posts, read 205,684 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notnamed View Post
I work from home so no real fixed commute. But often head to the airport. That's a 13 minute drive/Lyft....or 1hr 14 minutes by bus with 4 connections to make.

I can't imagine why anyone would take the bus in that situation if they could drive or get an Uber/Lyft. An extra 2hr daily commute with a bunch of connections is a lot of stress/lost sleep on top of the basic disadvantage of being amongst a herd of people.
Wow! We have similar situations like yours, but the only difference is that there is no bus routes in the area, so what would be a 15 minute drive would be an hour+ walk. Thanks!
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