Public Transit is Awesome

[Darth SS]

I love the Saskatoon bus service. It gets me to school on days when the thought of driving makes me fear for my life and the lives of everyone around me. Making the experience even better, busses and LRT's and metros are basically the best places in the world for people watching. I've overheard many a good conversation on the buses around the city, but today I heard one so great that I feel a need to share it with all of you.


"And they're identical twins right? So now she's been freaking out, saying I cheated on her with her sister and I'm trying to get her to understand I was drunk and thought it was her! I would never cheat on her, to me I was just fucking Kayla again." "Yeah, I don't know what that girl's problem is."




How about you? What have been your best overheard conversations whilst enjoying public transit? What have been your worst experiences? Weirdest experiences?

[Loyal]

I don't care much for the buses here in the greater Boston area, there's a thirty-minute gap between them most of the time (barring peak hours), and that's when they are, in fact, on time. I can and have on two occasions chosen to walk through a snowstorm rather than wait for the bus. The trains are pretty good, though.

Every now and then this one old black dude comes on the train, and he is just unforgettable. He's a loudmouth, and he's always wearing the same fedora + trenchcoat combo, and his hair is always in shoulder-length dreads. He claims to have been a gangster under Al Capone and that the latter "broke him in," "made him what he is today" (though "what he is today" is never elaborated on), and so on.

He's nearly picked a fight with other passengers a few times trying to back up his gangster cred, but I haven't seen anything come out of it.

I think he mentioned his name was Kenny.

[pochercoaster]

Public transit is great if you like
1. being harassed by drug addicts when you have to take the bus downtown which takes you through the "bad" part of town
2. being stared at very intently by drunk creepy old men
3. sitting next to people who smell like they haven't showered in days
4. being groped by the man standing next to you in a crowded bus because he thinks he's clever and can get away with it
5. waiting for the bus in the winter, which is inevitably late but you show up to the stop on time just in case it's not, and by the time you get on the bus you're a human popsicle
6. strangers harassing you at the terminal for change so they can pay the fare
7. avoiding puddles that form from coffee cups that are discarded on the floor of the bus (seriously WTF people, there's a garbage bag at the front of the bus!)

I am not fond of the transit in my town. However, I am glad that the buses run fairly often (every 10 minutes during peak hours) as I can't afford a car so I can generally get around town quickly. I just don't like putting up with all the creeps, especially when I'm getting home late 'cause they show up more often in the evening.

[russianreversal]

The transit in columbus isn't that bad, though never on time. That being said, my best bus experience was during Ohayocon a couple years ago where we had half a bus full of inner city rabble and the other full of cosplayers, both unnerving the hell out each other.

[Wigmund]

My hometown is just now building a public transit system. Mainly it's a cooperative service between the University and the city that serves only part of the town during college hours so during the various breaks (Spring, Fall, Winter) it doesn't run and only has limited runs during the summer. However, the main cities of Northwest Arkansas are trying to work together to set up a transit system, unfortunately it's from the ground up so even if they agree to something tomorrow, it'll be years before there's a region-wide system. Plus none of the cities grew in a way that allow an easy setup. Gotta love suburban sprawl.

But other than a very few crazies that ride the system and one twit driver, I have no complaints about the University's buses.

[Flarecobra]

I take it to and from college every day I have classes, and I think it's pretty smooth running out here. Only twice has there been serious delays, and one was because of a bad storm.

Plus in the long run, it saves money as otherwise I spend 40 minutes driving, not to mention needing a parking pass and having to find a parking spot.

[Nikose Tyris]

I adore my town's public transit system. It would only get better if they'd hurry up with the Light Rail Vehicle's they've been planning in my area for a while now.

[Darth SS]

I adore my town's public transit system. It would only get better if they'd hurry up with the Light Rail Vehicle's they've been planning in my area for a while now.

...Don't you live in Toronto? Dude, Calgary has a rail system. Regina's seriously looking into building one. Regina. Toronto isn't supposed to be getting one-upped by the second biggest city in Saskatchewan.

[Azisien]

...Don't you live in Toronto? Dude, Calgary has a rail system. Regina's seriously looking into building one. Regina. Toronto isn't supposed to be getting one-upped by the second biggest city in Saskatchewan.

Do you have adequate garbage disposal? Congrats, you just one-upped Toronto.

[Toastburner B]

The public transit in my town sucks. When you have to drive to reach the nearest bus stop, it kinda defeats the whole point.

That said, on the rare occasion I have to go into Salt Lake City (it's the nearest/only "major" city around here) I do greatly prefer to use public transit than driving down myself. Taking the light-rail train down into town and using the trax trolleys to get around is a lot less of a hassle than driving down and trying to find a parking spot in a city I'm not all that familiar with.

[Nikose Tyris]

@Darth_SS: We -have- rail systems; I'm just excited for the one they're building through Etobicoke for better support. Right now we have access to Islington, Kipling, and Lawrence West subway station, after 20-30 minute bus rides. The new system will mean a 10 minute bus ride and a 6 minute LRT ride to the subway train.


@Azisien: I have fantastic garbage service at my apartment, I just can't seem to get them to pick up Rob Ford no matter how many times I leave the sonofabitch on the curb.

[Amake]

One time recently I sat next to two little girls, maybe fifteen, talking about a Swedish test they had in school. It makes me happy to see kids who like learning things so maybe I listen too closely. When they mention something about someone using AOLspeak in the test I'm forced to ask, has the language been watered down to such a degree you can actually get away with that on a school test? But no, they tell me, the one who did it failed.

Now, we don't speak to strangers on the bus here, so naturally they want to know why I asked, and I say I'm interested in languages. I become invisible, apparently, and they talk for several minutes about me with such childish curiosity and straightforwardness I can't help smiling like an idiot. Eventually one of them says wait, I think she can hear us.

The end.

[Viridis]

The bus to work is on an hour loop. The night bus is worse, I think.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I live in Europe and am a commie. You wouldn't believe my public transport hardon.

[Melfice]

Public transport is awesome in the Netherlands.

Sure, I like to bitch about delays when I'm travelling by train, but frankly, the Dutch railway network is one of the most densely travelled networks in the world. To such a degree that when a train in Utrecht has a delay, it will be felt way up in Groningen (maybe an exaggeration, but it comes close to the truth. (also, check a map if you want to know how far those cities are apart)).

Other than that, everything's just peachy.

No real exceptional stories, really.
Well... one time I helped a mother carry her baby stroller into the train. Somewhat crowded, but we managed with people slipping by us left and right. (She had no right owning such a heavy stroller though. Jeeze, you'd think it was made of lead).

As I sit down, I notice something rectangular and boxy in my bag, which was empty earlier. I reach in, and pull it out.

It's a vibrator. New. Receipt and all.

I don't know why, or who, or what the fuck.

[Darth SS]

I don't know why, or who, or what the fuck.

Christmas came early for you apparently.


I'm also amazed that so many people are complaining about the buses being on a half hour loop. That's what we have, and I have no problem with it.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

It is pretty 1980s though.

[Magic_Marker]

98 Percent of Commuters Favor Public Transportation for Other People (http://www.theonion.com/articles/report-98-percent-of-us-commuters-favor-public-tra,1434/)

[Fifthfiend]

Mass transit is great, and most problems with mass transit are actually problems of not having enough mass transit.

[Pip Boy]

I recently was riding a bus in Portland when a very drunk man thought that me and my girlfriend were a brother and sister in an incestuous relationship and he began to freak the hell out. Kind of funny afterward, but when we were there stuck on the bus with him it was just weird as hell.

Oh, right, and another time my girlfriend rode the bus by herself at night and a creepy old neckbearded white guy followed her for a few blocks, so she's not allowed to ride the bus by herself anymore and I keep a knife on me when I go.

[Melfice]

Mass transit is great, and most problems with mass transit are actually problems of not having enough mass transit.

Unless there's too much mass transit, where it causes problems with chains of delays. ;)

But yeah.
It's certainly more comfortable than biking or riding your car everywhere. Unless you have a limousine with a chauffeur.
If which case I can imagine the car being more comfortable.

[greed]

We got a pretty good system here, only delays I've ever ran into are those resulting from suicides which are always gonna be a problem with train tracks I guess. Also clean and I've pretty much always felt safe even around midnight.

I recently was riding a bus in Portland when a very drunk man thought that me and my girlfriend were a brother and sister in an incestuous relationship and he began to freak the hell out. Kind of funny afterward, but when we were there stuck on the bus with him it was just weird as hell.

Oh, right, and another time my girlfriend rode the bus by herself at night and a creepy old neckbearded white guy followed her for a few blocks, so she's not allowed to ride the bus by herself anymore and I keep a knife on
me when I go.

Oh, right, and another time my girlfriend rode the bus by herself at night and a creepy old neckbearded white guy followed her for a few blocks, so she's not allowed to ride the bus by herself anymore and I keep a knife on
me when I go.

not allowed

Wait what?

[Pip Boy]

Before you go off onto a rant about how misogynistic I must be to act like I own my girlfriend and can tell her what to do, the words "not allowed" used there are more of an abbreviation for "Me, Danny, and her parents all discussed the matter of her being stalked after it happened and mutually agreed that perhaps riding an inner city bus alone in the middle of the night is perhaps not the best idea".

Clearly it must be selfish of me to opt to go with her any time she has to take the bus in order to ensure she isn't mugged, stabbed, or raped, as is known to happen in downtown Portland in the middle of the night.