(Public) Travelin' Woes

I have been riding the bus to and from work for about 8 months now – ever since I changed jobs and my new position does not come with parking.

Reasons I hate riding the bus:

1. I do not like to wait; and I end up waiting a lot for the bus.
a. I seem to wait a lot longer on Mondays, although I have waited a long time on other days, too. My theory is that people call in sick more often on Mondays, so they do not have enough drivers to cover all the routes.

2. Which leads me to the second reason I hate riding the bus: they never follow the posted schedule, so I never know what time they’re coming. I try to plan it so I won’t have to wait, but alas, ‘tis not to be (apparently).
a. Sometimes if I leave my apartment at 6:45 a.m., there will be two or three busses before 7:00 a.m. Sometimes there are no busses during that time. It’s so frustrating. I could have slept for 15 more minutes!

3. The unusual and unpleasant smells (Hello people! Ever hear of using deodorant or not using so much cologne/perfume?)
a. Body odor: The considerate bus rider will wear deodorant, especially when riding the bus home after working all day. Sometimes when I’m sitting down, they’re standing above me holding the top rail…let’s just say I’ve learned the art of shallow breathing. The worst is when you cannot tell where the smell is coming from…just that it’s close. No matter which way you turn your head, there it is!
b. Cologne/Perfume: a little is okay; however, if a noxious puce cloud follows in your wake, you should not be in an enclosed area with a bunch of other people.
c. Other yucky smells: I’ve smelled urine on the bus. Made me worried about where I was sitting.

4. Bus drivers. Don’t get me wrong, most bus drivers are very good and will kindly wait while I run/walk to the bus so I don’t look like a complete idiot running after a bus that’s driving away. But some:
a. Drive really rough. So cavalierly that I’m bouncing, trying to stay in my seat or standing while teetering dangerously and desperately trying to hold on to a pole.
b. Have no concept of rain. Some bus drivers will just rip down the street, splashing enormous amounts of water on whomever may be on the sidewalk. Or, when the passenger gets off the bus, the driver will tear away, thus splashing the recently disembarked people.

5. Communicable Diseases. Not just others, I mean me, too. I got sick and had this cough that would not die. I hated standing over people and coughing all over them. I could imagine my cough spraying an invisible infectious mist over the poor passengers sitting below. Yuck. Or when someone behind you is coughing and sneezing and it feels like it’s all going right into my hair. Bleh.
a. Plus, when one rides the bus, one does not know if one is touching or sitting on something disgusting. For example, did the person who last held this pole wash his/her hands after using the bathroom and before getting on the bus? Inquiring minds want to know.

6. The weirdness. Now, some weirdness is entertaining and some are easily ignored, but some weirdness is well, weird. Disturbing, even.
a. For several mornings, there was this guy on the bus, sitting somewhere in the back cussing up a storm. I am not sure to whom he was speaking (himself, the other passengers, the voices in his head), but he sounded mad. He hissed out the swear words, so they were not really loud, which made it creepier in a way.
b. Once these two guys seemed to be acquainted. One got off the bus and words were exchanged. Soon, the other one got off the bus and they started throwing punches. They banged into the side of the bus while they were fighting and before the bus could drive away. It was kind of scary, even though it happened outside the bus.

7. The rudeness. Most bus riders are not rude. Some are clueless or don’t pay attention to their surroundings, but I seldom see any overt rudeness.
a. Some times people do not let the older riders sit. That kind of irritates me. They may be sleeping, talking to others, or just in their iPod world, but when a little old lady is struggling to hold on to the pole and her packages in front of you, offer her your seat!
b. Kids are loud. They shout, they talk on their cell phones and bang you with their book bags. (Do I sound like a crotchety old woman or what?)
c. People who refuse to move to the back of the bus even if they are causing severe sardine issues for those in the front.
d. People who block the door and are clueless when you are trying to exit.

8. Inconvenience/Lack of Freedom. It is difficult to run errands (groceries, library, bank, drop off or pick up things, etc.) on the way home or meet friends somewhere after work if one rides the bus. Not impossible, but inconvenient. Definitely less viable options. Especially when one is as lazy as I am.

9. Strangers falling asleep on you. Oh wait, that was me. My apologies to the guy I was sitting next to yesterday morning. I was just sooooo tired! I really did try to stay awake and/or upright. I was so embarrassed I did not even look at him, even as I got off at my stop.


Reasons I feel guilty for hating to ride the bus:

1. I care about our environment. I want to be a good steward of what God has provided. I should be embracing my foray into public transportation rather than hating it so much.
a. I want to tread lightly (i.e., not leave a huge, deep carbon footprint). But with the cost of oil and the fact that if I did drive to work every day, I would not be carpooling with anyone (and I am likely to be running my air conditioner), it is not exactly energy savings / low emissions time.

2. I am part of the proletariat not the bourgeoisie. Hating to ride the bus seems to distance me from my proletariat roots and makes me more bourgeois than I envision myself. Transportation of the people, by the people and for the people!

3. I am an advocate for public transportation. Our community cannot continue to sustain these lone car drivers. Plus, parking is generally a pain and one does not need to worry about it if one rides the bus. Basically, I am a hypocrite…which, by the way, is not something I want to be (e.g., Public transportation is good and necessary…for other people. As for me, I will drive my car). Bleh!