Who here actually *dosn't* like the bus?

Post Reply New Topic

I have ridden on some of the trains in Tokyo. Also the shinkansen, the "bullet trains".
They are so clean. Even the floors are polished. They were heaven to ride on.
I only took one crowded one, but it was o.k. cos I faced the window, not peoples' armpits.
They make some lovely sounding chimes at each stop too.
Their buses, I found, were just as clean and nice to ride on.

I hate taking the bus. They're noisy and I hate the way they jerk you around with all the starts and stops and sharp corners. On the other hand, I love subways and elevated trains. They may be just as crowded, but at least the air conditioning usually works and you don't have to worry about the driver slamming on the brakes or making sudden turns every few minutes. At home I usually take my own car everywhere except downtown because our bus service in the suburbs is terrible. When I want to go downtown I usually drive to one of the train stations and leave my car on a side street, mainly because it's almost impossible to find parking, and when you do it's very expensive.

The Pro's of Taking the Bus
1. I don't have to walk long distances.
2. I don't have to find other modes of transportation such as bumming a ride off of someone, bicycle or my own vehicle.
3. If riding the bus is my only mode of transportation, I don't have to worry about maintaining my own vehicle and filling the gas tank (which has become quite expensive).
4. I can look out the window at the views along the way or read (which is much nicer than navigating through traffic).

The Con's of Taking the Bus
1. The smell of bus-exhaust (it makes me quite ill).
2. The smell of other people (their perfumes, colognes, food smells and natural scents sometimes are a bit too much for me).
3. People invading my personal space by standing/sitting too close.
4. During bad weather, buses can be unreliable and not on schedule.

....in conclusion, I think if I had the choice (which I don't because I live too far out in the country) I would choose the bus. That's because I dislike the cost of maintaining a vehicle and I do not like driving in rush hour traffic. When I lived in the city, I did use public transportation or my bicycle.

Usually I get around by driving my mom's car that I share with my brother and sister; or my mom, stepfather, dad, grandma, or grandpa takes me where I need to go. Suburban St. Louis, especially the "better off" suburbs, doesn't really have much of a public transportation system. People use cars. Period. There used to be a bus route close to the subdivision I live in, but I think Bistate lost funding, and they cut back on routes no one used--like that one. If you want to use the bus system, you have to take it somewhere it goes, which isn't really convenient.

In other American cities, the public transportation system is much better and is actually considered something most people--not just poor people--will use: San Francisco, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Washington, D.C. to name the ones I've been to. In San Francisco my family and I took the trolleys, cable cars, and BART. In Washington, D.C., we used the Metro. In Chicago, we used taxis, which is close enough to public transportation, in my opinion.

I'm resurrecting an old thread here...

Personally I HATE taking a bus or any form of public transportation. I really don't see anything positive about paying to get on an uncomfortable vehicle packed full of people (many of whom reek and/or talk a lot), and then taking 3 times longer to get to my destination. Sitting in traffic sucks, but at least I can crank up the stereo, set the temperature to whatever I like, and talk to myself from the comfort of my perfectly-adjusted seat.

I don't because there is too much in the way of sensory stimulation. For the same reason I don't like the subway. When I was forced to do it I had ways of shutting out a lot of it, but now that I live in a less populated area and have a car I have done it a lot less. I use the most energy efficient form of transportation so I still do it sometimes.
I use a walkman and bury myself in some reading material. The smells aren't as bad here and I usually get a seat by myself (advantage of having brown skin when most people don't). Also, a lot of variety of buses. Most of the ones I take are mini buses (fewer people) or peter pan/ trailways/ greyhound style buses where the sensory stuff is minimal because the seats are so high.

I absolutely HATE catching the bus. Need I say anymore?

All I've ever ridden is the school bus, and I like it. I get to sleep, and I enjoy the vibrations.

In a lot of cities if you have to commute on city buses during the times middle school and high school kids are coming to and from school it's an absolute nightmare. It's not a crazy idea to station an officer or two on some of these buses to arrest those who repeatedly harass others for disorderly conduct. That's been my only real problem in the past, being verbally assaulted on a couple separate occasions. Wearing headphones is your best deterrent against this.

The main advantage of public transportation is cost, only about $14 a week where I live, so it's an attractive option for a penny-pincher like me despite the inconveniences.

I perfer riding in a car driven by someone else (preferbly when theres other passengers besides me so Im not the only source of communication.) That being said my next favorite is public transit so I hope to a get a job abroad or in a city like NY or Chitown that has a huge public transit system.

_________________
"we never get respect ... never a fair trial
[swearing removed by lau] ... as long as we smile"
Im tired of smiling.

Vote for me in 2020

I prefer taking my car over public transport, but both are pretty bad. There's the other people you have to sit near or next to, and it gets really hard trying to avoid touching them. There's also the horrible sounds of brakes and vibrations of the axel. It's gotten to the point where I'm considering taking a pair of earmuffs with me. My car also happens to have really bad brakes too, and the radio is starting to overwhelm me. I'm finding it all quite unusual, because I used to be good at suppressing all overload responses to sensory stimuli. I'd forgotten how bad overload can be.