Do people enjoy riding public transit?

[Sherlock77]

Although I am so glad for its existence, I really despise it.

There are many times, very frightening people on board, in various states of intoxication and/or psychosis, yelling and sneering and dropping trash. I've been threatened to be shot on a bus just recently. They don't get kicked off, and unlike everyone else, they don't have to pay to get on. It's awful.

I wish I had a car so I could leave the city limits, or just be in a private place, playing music, and exploring the streets. There are people I'd like to visit, and I'm not very physically mobile, so it would be very handy.

However, you can't beat the fact that you can go wherever you want all day with a $2.50 day pass. And dial a ride is pretty sweet too.

The streetcar runs nearby. It's sort of like a modern trolley service. It zips around my neighborhood, and into other neighborhoods. I really love it. But once again, there's those scary homeless people that ruin many trips.

Mass transit is a sensory experience: The sights! The sounds! The smells! The textures! ..and if someone is really stinky, you can even taste it on the air!

Just recently I had the money to buy a car, and I was very excited, but my daughter needed it more for college tuition, so I deposited it in her savings account. I was just thinking about my ideal car the other day with a friend, and we came up with a great idea. I hope someday soon it comes to fruition.

What a great mom! Respect! And I hope you get your car soon...

 

[VictorR]

@Gerald Wilgus
I know this is a transit thread, but since you brought up recumbent trikes - how has your experience been with them? Aside from one guy who seems to use one daily to/from work, I've seldom seen them and I've wondered about safety concerns with things like visibility when using them, but also if they're okay for going up and down hills. (As noted in another thread, I have balance issues and so regular bikes don't work for me. I am open to a sit-up trike)

 

[YiskaChava]

Or at least get used to it/normalize it, if that is their only way of getting around

More a curiosity question related to a current situation, a few months back I worked a warehouse temp job with weird bus access, one of my co-workers was an older man had actually never owned a car and/or had a license... Knowing which neighbourhood he lived in I offered him a ride (it was slightly out of the way, but not that bad), he accepted my offer one day and then never seemed to want a ride again...

Where I'm working another short term job contract right now, I discovered by simple conversation that a female co-worker moved in literally one house away from me one month ago... To be clear she volunteered which street it was, it's not a long street... Maybe I was too quick but my first reaction was to say I lived on the same street (for 19 years actually)... To be a gentleman I put out the offer of a ride to work, as she takes the bus, I've followed up a couple of times with the offer and she politely declines, I won't bring it up again but the offer is there...

One thing I've thought of, I'm a 50 year old male, and she is probably half my age, we are on good terms at work though but perhaps there is a trust issue

Or maybe too, some people don't mind taking the bus that much, I've read articles about how some young people don't mind a long bus ride because they have their smart phones, or perhaps in the rare case a book they enjoy reading

Me? I've driven for years, rarely take public transit, in particular for a work commute, depending on where I have worked taking the bus requires getting up much earlier plus getting home much later compared to driving, I do walk lots but admittedly I drive to most places I go even on weekends, partially (mostly) because I can get a lot more done compared to taking public transit and the wait times

But then maybe... People who don't drive just simply get used to life being less convenient, or don't even see it that way (maybe some of you feel that way)

I would go stir crazy relying on the bus for everything

I don't drive. My motor skills are very poor. In grad school (3 years ago), I would take the bus all the time. I liked the independence but I hated the social interactions. The bus had their regulars since it was the University shuttle so the same people would sit near me and talk. So I would always try to take the earlier or later bus. Then those buses had their regulars too and so on.

Now I'm in a new city, the bus system isn't great so I walk to work and the grocery store. It's nice to not have to chit chat with anyone but I so miss the speed of it.

 

[Nick12]

i like to ride the marta and the busses in atlanta ga

 

[Owliet]

Not really. It’s not like the trains are late all the time here or that they’re dirty (they’re not) but I had a bad experience once and I got lost. Got on the wrong train and missed the closest stop. It was also night and snowing and I was horribly confusee. Thankfully my dad found me. It was a good thing I got off when I did otherwise I would have headed for Germany.

 

[Shevek]

I have had both good and bad experiences on public transit, and the world-wide variety is vast. When I'm hitchiking, the bed of a farm truck is quite acceptable.
For many years, a bicycle was my usual transport, and after meetings, people would sometimes offer me a car ride home. I would always refuse, unwilling to risk any damage to my bike, and preferring my regular exercise and routine.
@OP, Some people like the familiarity or reading time on a bus. Some people offer rides as an opportunity to talk in private. Maybe you can get more feedback, perhaps by asking what the ride is like.

 

[Progster]

Public transport in cities is ok, just as long as it's not during the rush hour, because then it gets too crowded. Best wear ear plugs. Buses are ok, except some stop in every village, and a journey that usually takes 20 minutes by car takes 40 minutes. I don't like taxis and avoid them where possible.

 

[Dadamen]

I don't mind it very much unless in summer when it can be sizzling hot inside because they don't have air conditioning.