I will use the bus the moment I can have the same level of peace and quiet I get in my car. My commute is not long, but it gives me time to think about things. My experience with public transport is pure unrelenting noise.
America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
11–20 of 109 posts
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#12The author completely forgets there is a whole world outside the US, where public transportation is efficient, preferred, and often makes good profts too. - Singapore has a very good bus+ metro system and people actually prefer it. Cars are heavily taxed which contributed to it, but their well planning has helped too. Airport served by metro, so is the Malaysia border, and every neighborhood has at least two nearby m…
The motorbike taxis existed way before Uber, and they will probably outlast whatever subsidies they are getting. The only way to shut them down is by law (which is how southern Chinese cities are getting rid of them ATM).
Tuktuks are also a great last mile alternative. Maybe a bit safer and more comfortable than riding behind someone on a motorbike.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#13The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere. I think if this can be changed, more people will use them. Cities like Sydney get it right, by having dedicated express lanes on many highways for buses (and taxis). When it becomes faster to catch the bus in peak hour because they can drive in lanes that bypass the gridlock, there is an incentive to leave your car at…
I understand privileging buses but under what pretenses should we privilege taxis over transportation network companies? If anything, only pool ridesharing companies should get the benefit of these intracity HOV lanes.
Particularly for airports, prices for licensed taxies are usually regulated to be within a very narrow, predictable range. Opening up the Uber app, the estimated price for an UberX to SFO from my current location is $47.30, which is almost exactly what a taxi would be--$45-50 in this part of the city. Licensed taxis are, at least to some extent, a deliberately planned component of the public transportation infrastructure.
And as I about to post this, the price for UberX changed to $49.80. Thanks for the illustration, Uber.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#14The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere. I think if this can be changed, more people will use them. Cities like Sydney get it right, by having dedicated express lanes on many highways for buses (and taxis). When it becomes faster to catch the bus in peak hour because they can drive in lanes that bypass the gridlock, there is an incentive to leave your car at…
This - enforce carpool lanes and give buses priority access. Immediate positive.
Secondly and more importantly for me (and I know unpopular) - kick off the drunk / other rule-breakers and anyone who threatens people even if its just a result of mental illness. No one wants to start their day next to someone yelling - "I'll f* you up... etc" on a crowded bus. At least where I am the bus drivers don't do anything from small - blasting music -> to larger - nonstop threats of violence.
I have only small anecdotes but other places seem to empower the drivers etc more. And the jitney cabs in the Caribbean would flat out leave people on the side of the road if they were sloppy drunk.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#15In the bay area, there was an express bus line from my town straight into downtown San Francisco. I could work through my whole commute (as I had a seat and a laptop), not worry about traffic or deal with road rage, and was filled with a wide variety of people.
If each community added their own similar route, I wouldn't be surprised if rush hour traffic was noticably impacted.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#16The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere. I think if this can be changed, more people will use them. Cities like Sydney get it right, by having dedicated express lanes on many highways for buses (and taxis). When it becomes faster to catch the bus in peak hour because they can drive in lanes that bypass the gridlock, there is an incentive to leave your car at…
"The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere."
In my experience they take within a few minutes of walking somewhere, and perhaps three times as long as bicycling, never mind driving.
Perhaps someone will say that this indicates my local bus system is terrible, but I don't see what could be improved about it. If they want to serve the people who actually ride the bus, they have to go on routes with riders, and stop at all the places people want to get on and off.
But I've tried riding the bus on trips ranging from For the longest trips (>6 miles) which coincide with a single route, the bus can be substantially faster than walking, but it's still way too long to be a viable commute. And shorter trips are very comparable to walking.
People say or imply that something could be different that would make a typical bus system in a US city more effective for people who have alternatives, but what?
The idea of the bus being "more convenient" with a few tweaks seems wildly implausible to me based on my experience.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#17you can't just tell people to "love the bus", the bus has to actually be loveable. No one is avoiding the bus because 'climate change is cool man, fuck the bus'. People don't ride the bus because it's jam packed shoulder to shoulder, can smell like puke and piss, subsidezed homeless travel while the rest of us need to pay a dumb fare, requires exact change in world ruled by tap-to-pay devices.
And then yeah, traffic and time, but that's not really the core detraction. Oh, yeah, and Uber pool and Lyft rides are nearly as cost effective, when you consider time-to-income it's often more cost effective.
Make the bus an experience that at least doesn't make want people want to vomit and then people may start to take the bus again. As another commenter said, there are countries where busses don't suck, and ergo busses are used.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#18The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere. I think if this can be changed, more people will use them. Cities like Sydney get it right, by having dedicated express lanes on many highways for buses (and taxis). When it becomes faster to catch the bus in peak hour because they can drive in lanes that bypass the gridlock, there is an incentive to leave your car at…
"The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere." In my experience they take within a few minutes of walking somewhere, and perhaps three times as long as bicycling, never mind driving. Perhaps someone will say that this indicates my local bus system is terrible, but I don't see what could be improved about it. If they want to serve the people who actually ride the…
Buses are most viable when combined with a well developed rail system. Then it's worthwhile as an alternative to dealing with parking at the train stations and because you won't have your car on the other end of that rail journey.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#19The thing I hate about buses in many cities is that they take longer than driving to get somewhere. I think if this can be changed, more people will use them. Cities like Sydney get it right, by having dedicated express lanes on many highways for buses (and taxis). When it becomes faster to catch the bus in peak hour because they can drive in lanes that bypass the gridlock, there is an incentive to leave your car at…
This - enforce carpool lanes and give buses priority access. Immediate positive. Secondly and more importantly for me (and I know unpopular) - kick off the drunk / other rule-breakers and anyone who threatens people even if its just a result of mental illness. No one wants to start their day next to someone yelling - "I'll f * you up... etc" on a crowded bus. At least where I am the bus drivers don't do anything from…
Some of this is down to the driver being the only staff member on the bus. They should be fully focused on driving as a bus hitting anything is bad news. Stopping to kick people off just delays everyone on the bus getting where they need to go.
If there was a conductor on the bus then they could deal with inappropriate behaviour, but no bus company wants to pay two members of staff when they can get away with one.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#20you can't just tell people to "love the bus", the bus has to actually be loveable. No one is avoiding the bus because 'climate change is cool man, fuck the bus'. People don't ride the bus because it's jam packed shoulder to shoulder, can smell like puke and piss, subsidezed homeless travel while the rest of us need to pay a dumb fare, requires exact change in world ruled by tap-to-pay devices. And then yeah, traffic…
We have a commuter bus from Annapolis to DC. Super nice, air conditioned, wifi, etc. No homeless people. Socially enforced library silence atmosphere. It’s pretty sick.