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.
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America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
41–50 of 109 posts
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#42you 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…
If you are not aware, this type of comment is fairly common on HN when discussing public transit. > 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. Please do not take personal offense to this, but this type of comment leads me to believe that you have very derogatory views of people that have chosen or have ended up in different life pat…
Having grown up in relative poverty, if you think any of us in the "general population" wanted to be around the addicts, high, and/or mentally ill riding the bus, you are out of your ever-loving mind. We merely didn't have much choice in the matter.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#43you 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…
If you are not aware, this type of comment is fairly common on HN when discussing public transit. > 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. Please do not take personal offense to this, but this type of comment leads me to believe that you have very derogatory views of people that have chosen or have ended up in different life pat…
In the US, government transportation is similar to government housing: you only use it if you can't afford the alternatives.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#44The 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'm a firm believer that we need to get the private busses out of the express lanes. In Seattle it is really bad, all of the Microsoft and Amazon busses crossing east west have destroyed demand for quality public transportation across that corridor. Every day going to work I drive the same route as a Microsoft bus, the current alternative is three busses for 90min best case. This is also the only HOV Lane in the stat…
Why? Private buses are solving the same problem as public buses--taking cars off the road and reducing traffic. You could make them unpalatable, but I'm guessing most Microsoft and Amazon employees will revert to cars before public buses, which makes traffic worse for everyone, including you.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#45The 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'm a firm believer that we need to get the private busses out of the express lanes. In Seattle it is really bad, all of the Microsoft and Amazon busses crossing east west have destroyed demand for quality public transportation across that corridor. Every day going to work I drive the same route as a Microsoft bus, the current alternative is three busses for 90min best case. This is also the only HOV Lane in the stat…
You do realize that if you get rid of those busses then the traffic will be even worse right? Even if all of those people end up carpooling, they'll occupy way more space in the HOV lane.
The real solution should be to expand the number of HOV lanes.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#46The HN demographic skews young and male, so I think many of us fail to appreciate that older people and women often feel unsafe — or at least uncomfortable — on public transit. Increased law enforcement presence and enforcement of decent behavior would do a lot to make people love the bus.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#47The 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'm not even worried about longer commutes as much as reliability. Most cities in the US have bus lines, but I've heard absolute horror stories about buses being / early late and people having to wait an hour before another one comes.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#48The 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'm a firm believer that we need to get the private busses out of the express lanes. In Seattle it is really bad, all of the Microsoft and Amazon busses crossing east west have destroyed demand for quality public transportation across that corridor. Every day going to work I drive the same route as a Microsoft bus, the current alternative is three busses for 90min best case. This is also the only HOV Lane in the stat…
Around 2000 there was a bus that went from downtown Seattle out through the MS campus via 520. I was confused when that line was dropped, it was awesome and nearly the same commute time from LQA
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm a firm believer that we need to get the private busses out of the express lanes. In Seattle it is really bad, all of the Microsoft and Amazon busses crossing east west have destroyed demand for quality public transportation across that corridor. Every day going to work I drive the same route as a Microsoft bus, the current alternative is three busses for 90min best case. This is also the only HOV Lane in the stat…
You do realize that if you get rid of those busses then the traffic will be even worse right? Even if all of those people end up carpooling, they'll occupy way more space in the HOV lane. The real solution should be to expand the number of HOV lanes.
My point is they have effectively become restricted public transportation where there was demand for a viable real public transportation. This has made it so the average person no longer has an option. These routes are not viable for both a public and private option. Everyone coming from the West side to work at my office both drives and is a short walk from a Microsoft bus pickup.
Re: America’s Buses Need Our Love More Than Ever (2018)
#50Busses have to be one of the worst modern mass-transit options. Auckland NZ has bus lanes, so that is fine. But they are diesel. So they are noisy and polluting. Get two or three busses in a row and you cannot see past them. They block entire roads, and really, the have a low head count for the amount of space they take up. I'm not even speaking as a driver, I'm speaking as a pedestrian. Busses really suck.
It seems like your compliant should be directed more specifically towards diesel vehicles than actual busses. There are low-emission busses out there.
Also, good diesels are fine. We have lots of terrible diesel buses here in Hamilton, ON, but I've seen diesel buses which don't spew ghastly acrid smoke everywhere.