why do people take bus and not drive? (rent, maintenance)

[pannierpacker]

Some people realistically have to take the bus for cost reasons.

For people who can afford to drive but still choose to ride the bus, I can think of a few reasons:

*The bus may provide an advantage in corridors that are not well served by a freeway or highway (ex: Lake Street), especially if you do not require any type of transfer. If your commute is congested and has lots of stoplights this could offer valuable reading time or other activities that would require you to take your focus off of the road.

*Some people like to be very frugal, even if they can afford to drive. Perhaps they don't need to travel very far and can accomplish most of their life via transit, carpooling, walking, biking, etc.

*Some people may have very flexible jobs that allow them to arrive at 8:00AM sharp and leave at 5:00PM every day, which is how many busses will operate. This isn't really a factor by itself but can play a big part along with the first 2 factors.

In cases where the expense of driving is similar or cheaper to the expense of bussing and/or where there is a major time difference between the two (ex: 10 minutes driving vs 60 minutes bussing), I can see the appeal to just driving instead. Unfortunately, our metropolis is not designed very well in terms of having a good non-freeway aerterial road-system and a good transit system to go along with it. Because of this you'll run into issues where you have to wait 30+ minutes for a transfer to take place, even in broad daylight. Also, many bus routes, especially in the suburbs, are very circuitous. Because many suburbs struggle to attract ridership and have no pattern to the development of dense centers, busses have to meander to find apartment buildings, shopping centers, office buildings, etc. In addition to that, during a cold MN winter, the development of buildings in suburbia can be set back so far from the street, that you'll get blasted by the cold winter air walking from the bus stop much more than you would if you had a parking spot right by the door. Also, the walking environment can be pretty inhospitable with snow-mounds, shoveled sidewalks, and other challenges awaiting you the moment you step off the bus.

[ropper111]

Originally Posted by pannierpacker

Some people realistically have to take the bus for cost reasons.

For people who can afford to drive but still choose to ride the bus, I can think of a few reasons:

*The bus may provide an advantage in corridors that are not well served by a freeway or highway (ex: Lake Street), especially if you do not require any type of transfer. If your commute is congested and has lots of stoplights this could offer valuable reading time or other activities that would require you to take your focus off of the road.

*Some people like to be very frugal, even if they can afford to drive. Perhaps they don't need to travel very far and can accomplish most of their life via transit, carpooling, walking, biking, etc.

*Some people may have very flexible jobs that allow them to arrive at 8:00AM sharp and leave at 5:00PM every day, which is how many busses will operate. This isn't really a factor by itself but can play a big part along with the first 2 factors.

In cases where the expense of driving is similar or cheaper to the expense of bussing and/or where there is a major time difference between the two (ex: 10 minutes driving vs 60 minutes bussing), I can see the appeal to just driving instead. Unfortunately, our metropolis is not designed very well in terms of having a good non-freeway aerterial road-system and a good transit system to go along with it. Because of this you'll run into issues where you have to wait 30+ minutes for a transfer to take place, even in broad daylight. Also, many bus routes, especially in the suburbs, are very circuitous. Because many suburbs struggle to attract ridership and have no pattern to the development of dense centers, busses have to meander to find apartment buildings, shopping centers, office buildings, etc. In addition to that, during a cold MN winter, the development of buildings in suburbia can be set back so far from the street, that you'll get blasted by the cold winter air walking from the bus stop much more than you would if you had a parking spot right by the door. Also, the walking environment can be pretty inhospitable with snow-mounds, shoveled sidewalks, and other challenges awaiting you the moment you step off the bus.

How scary...thanks

[r_shackleford]

I have to take the bus because:

1. There is no parking.
2. No, there really won't be parking anytime soon.
3. Even if there is, there are thousands of people ahead of you in line for it.

I enjoy taking the bus because:

1. It's free. My employer pays for my entire bus pass.
2. I get to take a little walk at sunrise everyday before work.
3. I get to wind down (and watch the sunset in December) by taking a walk after work.
4. I don't have to deal with stupid drivers.
5. I don't have to drive in crummy weather or on icy roads.
6. My car sits unused in the garage at least three days a week.

Shortly after I switched to this job, I was a bit puzzled at how low my credit card statement for the month was. Then I did the math and realized that even a short 3-mile (round trip) commute burns a tank of gas every month. Frequent trips like that aren't good for the car, either. Weather this winter motivated me to adapt even further. I now buy many of my groceries from a small grocery store near my office. It's slightly more expensive, but costs me virtually no time to get there. Depending on my schedule, I either break up my afternoon with a trip to the gym or stop by before I go. My car stays in the garage, my free time is more consolidated, and I don't have to make a special trip to a store when I'm two minor ingredients short of something I want to cook. After a while, driving starts to seem more like a chore.

Of course, my total commute counting walking, waiting, and riding is only 30 minutes each way. Depending on routes and timing, that can balloon rather quickly and really change the whole balance.

[QuietBlue]

I took the bus or the train for almost ten years when I worked in downtown Minneapolis, even when I could have driven, due to the cost. Between the cost of gas and the cost of parking, it was the most financially sensible option, plus later on my company partially subsidized the cost of my transit pass. Most of my coworkers did the same. Plus, there was the benefit of being able to do other things while I rode -- read, check and respond to emails, and so on. Can't really multitask when you're driving. Having a bus stop a block from my house helped too.

I don't take the bus to work anymore because I now work close enough to home where the cost of gas there and back is less than rush hour bus fare would be, plus there's free parking and my employer doesn't cover any transit costs. Plus it would take at least twice, if not triple, the time it does to drive.

If I ever find myself working in either downtown again, though, I'll take transit unless it absolutely wouldn't work.

[Beenhere4ever]

There are a whole list of reasons, but not all are equally important. When you ride, you're in a vehicle that is going whether you do or not. Net carbon emissions zero. When people are driving crazy, you are in one of the biggest vehicles on the road, and if some doofus slams it, your insurance doesn't go up. A minor one might be that compared to walking to your car, there's more physical activity in transit, so you automatically become less sedentary. A big MINUS is that Metro Transit does a rather POOR job of respecting people's schedules. So you really absolutely have to give up some time in order not to be late to a destination. And you'd be best off going off-peak or you might have to stand for a long time. And even if there's a seat, you might not like whoever you have to sit next to. I totally understand the people in Metro Transit's territory who throw up their hands and drive. So many tradeoffs. But at least part time when all the factors are favorable, riding transit can lower your mobility costs.

[cgy1]

1. less wear and tear on my car, and fewer trips to the gas station
2. driving to/from work is not very enjoyable in rush hour
3. being able to relax and sleep/read/watch a video/etc. going to/from work
4. difficulty of finding parking in certain areas
5. don't have to worry about whether I'm sober enough or not to drive home after a night out
6. not having to worry about having to drive in bad weather, especially during the winter

[cgy1]

Originally Posted by cielpur

I agree, which is why I think the time to commute between Mpls/St Paul with the upcoming central corridor is unacceptable (40 minutes) when it can be easily driven in less than half that time. I live within walking distance of a stop in Minneapolis and work close to a stop in St. Paul so this was disappointing for me.

The 94 is a much faster solution if you're going from DT to DT.

[StanleyVegas]

Aside from the cost of gas, a daily winter commute really beats on your car in the form of road salt (gotta wash it off regularly at $10-15 a pop) and potholes, which can blow a tire or knock your front end out of alignment (or worse).

[Beenhere4ever]

Not really sure how accurate that is in the morning and afternoon rush hours. And the marginal driving skills of other people on the highway are constantly threatening big repair bills. One consideration is what you'd do in the time you'd save if you'd save any. Just wake up later? The best forms of transit allow doing all sorts of entertaining or productive things due to not having to watch every second for some idiot to bash your car. Which means the whole time you drive is nothing but white knuckles and preparing to take instant actions in self-defense.

[LH0607]

My husband takes the bus because it is $10/day to park if he doesn't want to walk far, or he can get a bus pass for the semester for $100. The commute is a little longer, but he can get stuff done on the bus. It's really a no brainer