Are there any people here who can't take public transport?

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Are there any people here who can't or don't take public transport on their own? BTW, I know there are plenty who can so plez don't comment if you can.

Well I used to take it on my own but I don't any more. I get quite anxious and angry sitting on a bus full of people I don't know and I go insane if someone is playing music too loudly. I also have a physical problem that makes it hard for me to get onto buses and trust me, no one understands the meaning of 'priority seat' despite the fact that I have two bright pink crutches and drag my foot along behind me most days! Trains are not too bad, but again I have to be accompanied or I get panicky. Taxis I really hate because they are very unpredictable.

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

I've never even tried. I dislike the idea of public transport because I need to have control over when I go someplace and, more importantly, when I leave. I can't even stand to get rides with other people. I have to take my own car so I'm not stuck.

Never could stand it, panicked and freaked in trains, buses, and cars if driven by anyone else.

It's gotten even worse since i did a side job as cab taxi driver a few years ago. The weekend shifts got me in too close contact with drunkards and other jetsam.

So definitely no. I'd rather walk for hours.

It took me awhile as a teenager to get used to public transport on my own. Mum and Dad forced me to catch the bus to and from drum lessons and to catch the train into town I loved catching the train very relaxing. My anxiety has got worse in the last few years and the enjoyment of sitting in the train has turned into a nightmare even getting on a bus is hard, but now that I'm an adult and living independently on my own I force myself to catch the bus to my local shopping centre to go shopping and to visit my doctor even though I don't like it and I freak out I have to do it even if I end up sick in the toliet I just take a change of clothes and get on with my day. ough I don't like it and I freak out I have to do it even if I end up sick in the toliet I just take a change of clothes and get on with my day.

I have major issues with public transit, but as I can't drive I'm reliant on it. For me its not anxiety, its the smells.

I only take the bus if I absolutely need to be somewhere important at a certain time (like for med refills at the doctor's office since they can't be called in to the pharmacy). The buses are never on time, but the major problem is too much noise coming from too many people all at once. For most everything I do, I ask others to drive me to my destination, or I walk.

I took the bus three times and got lost three times.

I'm not sure if I count as someone who can take public transportation or someone who can't--I can get to some places on the bus, but I can't take the bus anywhere.

I'm with Tuttle - the smells are a major reason why I have trouble with public transportation,too. Someone gets on with too much perfume or something an I'm a goner. For 2-3 yrs I gave up on taking it anywhere, but after I had been back in Maine about a year I decided to try it. Lucily for me I got one of the nicest if not the nicest and friendliest bus driver in the system, and he helped put me at ease. Also, it's not that busy a route, so that helps. This route, from my house into the nearest city,is the only one I would feel comfortable on. Although lately I have considered trying another one to get to a dr's appt. But there are some, the busier routes, that I would never do. Iam lucky,we have a small bus system,I couldn't handle the big city ones.

I don't use public transport because I am unable to.

I hardly ever use the bus. I'm fine as long as:
1. The bus is empty
2. I know when it departs and arrives
3. I know where to get on and off
4. I don't have to wait at a bus stop for very long
5. I don't have to stay on the bus for very long

Otherwise, I hate it. It's much the same for other forms of public transport.

I can use the bus if I really must, and I did so when I was younger, for many years, but I'd hate to have to go back to it. I'd much rather walk or cycle.

I'm going to post in here even though I DO use public transportation, because the only reason I use it is because I have no other choice.

For regular doctor appointments, hospital visits, procedures, etc. We get them scheduled on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, because those are the weekdays my Mum has access to a car and she will drive me. If I want to go somewhere that's not within walking distance it's between those days or also Sunday, because she has the care then as well. But for Therapy or if I want to do things while my Mum is at work or on the days she doesn't have the car, I have to take the bus. I've noticed a few people saying they have trouble with the sounds on the bus, I have trouble with that sometimes too- But I have sound cancelling ear buds or headphones now so I always bring my music, most of the time I'm always listening to it.. But I also put it in my back pack just in case when my ears don't feel like listening to music right now. I've found it helps a lot.

Sometimes I just have to take the bus regardless. I do not take a new route the first time by myself, I have a really good friend who meets up with me and will take time out of her life to learn a new route with me a few times before I have to go at it alone. I've been known to get off the bus too early because I just can't handle it anymore, if I have the time I'll walk, if not I wait for the next and hope it's on time.

These are the reasons I don't like taking the bus:
- I have a cane, and sometimes I'm still the one standing or being scooted to the back of the bus, I don't like this- I know all about "Invisible illness" because I have a few, but sometimes it's obvious that they are fine and just being ignorant.

- People smell really bad- They either smell like really strong and unpleasant perfume, or they smell like they haven't showered or changed their gym clothing or brushed their teeth for weeks. The perfume makes my throat feel like it's closing up can trigger an asthma attack, the other ones it makes me gag. Both give me a headache and make me anxious.

- The close proximity of everyone, especially when someone sits beside you. Germs and feeling trapped are two major things for me. It's worse when I get on a bus that's not too full, and all of a sudden there's so many people that you have trouble getting to the door when it's your stop.

- They don't follow the schedule very well, there is one bus(the one I rely on most since all the routes changed this month) that is perpetually either 15 minutes early or 15 minutes late.. Either way, you watch a bus go by when you should have more than enough time, and then you wait longer than you should have to for the next, making it likely for you to be late. I leave with the intention of getting anywhere 30 minutes early to ensure I'm there on time at least, but ideally I like being there with 15 minutes to spare.

Those are the main ones.

The reasons I like the bus:

- I get a sense of independence, which right now, I'll take whenever I can get it.

- I get to see the city, some routes have really interesting things that I'd never have passed otherwise.

Due to my own problems I couldn't for a long time and for the most part still can't - but I'm very nearly able now. I managed to do two stops on my own on the bus in the summer.