Today was my first day of using the bus to get to school. I’ve used public transportation in other cities I’ve lived in but I haven’t used it very much here because I’ve always had a car. Now that I’m car free I need to take the bus. I have to take two buses each way to get to school and back. The bus ride to school went fine although I did misread the schedule and cause myself to have to wait an extra 10 minutes for the first bus. I had to wait less than 10 minutes to transfer to the second bus. I like the second bus because it has fewer stops making for a quicker trip. They are also equipped with GPS and there is a sign at the bus stop telling you how many minutes it will be until the next bus arrives. That is a great feature. You don’t have to wonder if the bus is late or on time, you know for sure when the bus will arrive.
The bus ride home didn’t go as smooth. I either have to catch a bus two minutes after my class ends or twenty minutes after my class ends. The bus stop isn’t close enough for me to have a realistic chance of catching the first bus. Catching a bus twenty minutes after class would be fine because that gives me plenty of time to get my stuff together, go to the bathroom or whatever, and still leisurely walk to the bus stop. The problem is this bus arrives at my transfer point about twenty five minutes before the bus I take home arrives. If I could catch the first bus I would just make it to the transfer point in time to catch my second bus. I’m probably not explaining that very clearly but the point is that I have a long wait to transfer buses on my route home. That is just something you have to deal with when you use public transportation.
The drama came on the ride home. A lady had a seizure and the bus driver had to call an ambulance. That obviously kept the bus from continuing on its route. We had to disembark and catch another bus. That would have been about another 10 minute wait. Luckily, I have the best GF in the world and she volunteered to come pick me up.
Overall riding the bus isn’t that bad. It will probably be less dramatic next time. I just need to consult the schedule before I go to minimize my waiting time.
GPS?? That’s awesome. I wish my (NYC) transportation system did the same.
It is only on this one route but it is a very nice feature.
Wow, you just brought back some memories of riding the bus in San Francisco. I took the 4:45am bus and got to work in 35 minutes. The hassle was the return bus that had all the tourists and seemed to stop on every block in Chinatown.
Welcome to the wonderful world of mass transit by bus (or I guess welcome back if you’ve done it before). The GPS thing is indeed awesome, I wish we had it here on Long Island, NY. It might’ve saved me several cab fares when I thought a bus wasn’t coming. I’m “lucky” in that my bus ride is a single bus, but it’s still a longish commute, 50 mins or so, over an hour when I include walking to and from. But, I am grateful I don’t have to take several buses and coordinate that every day. I like mass transit, not driving, listening to books on my iPod, etc. But, I strongly prefer train/subway to buses. They just seem more dependable somehow. I started out being okay with my bus commute, but it’s gotten really old now. I can’t wait to move so that I can cycle to work again, or at least be much closer by bus.
See… that going home routine would be too frustrating for me. I’m not a good waiter when I’m trying to get home. Going to someplace, I’m fine… going home, I just want to get home!
Just bail out of class 5 mins early and catch the first bus. As long as you don’t make a big scene, most professors don’t mind.
HI:
Get yourself a Brompton folding bike. This way you can bring it on board the buses and use it for the return trip home. I know it’s expensive but if there are no hills, a Strida or CarryMe folders will also work.
The transfer bus does not have to be a problem if you decide to use a folding bike. Public transit does work but it works alot better if you can combine it with folding bikes.