Public Transport fan?

NaturallyCheap · 03-15-2008, 11:22 PM

Who is a fan of popular transports?

I have never used my drivers license since the day I got it!

Megan · 03-16-2008, 04:56 AM

Until recently, I had never lived in an area with public transportation that I could use. I was either in a town too small to have any sort of transportation, or I was in a city where the bus coverage was spotty at best.

That said, I love the DC metro system. I drive my car occasionally, maybe twice a month. It's great!

Kathryn · 03-16-2008, 06:03 AM

I'm neutral about public transportation. I did not really own a car until I was 26 years old and my son was an infant, and relied on a combination of bike, bus, and bumming rides up til that point. But the BBB combo was, at times a *monumental* PITA. For example, I remember one early Sunday morning in January of 1994, when I had to walk 3 miles to work in 25-below-zero temperatures (the coldest day in history in that down) because I had a shift that started at 8 am and there was no bus service. Or commutes that took 2 transfers and almost 2 hours, that would have taken 15-20 minutes by car.

I've always lived in places with pretty decent public transportation for their size, but the part of problem is that mass transit works OK if you're (1) following heavily-trafficked routes and (2) aren't coping with armfuls of small kids (or bigger kids for whom you have to pay fares) or family's worth of groceries, etc.

I'm in the DC metro area now, and taking Metro to the District is not a bad option in some cases, but it's still either a 20-minute walk or bus transfer just to get to the metro station, and it can cost as much as $25 round trip if the whole family is going. And while I did not have a parking space when I used to work at the University of Maryland and would have loved to take public transportation on some days, it was an incredible nightmare trying to figure out the timeliest combination of transfers to get there, as there are no less than 4 different transit authorities servicing the area, and leaving at 8:00 am it may make sense to take a completely different series of legs than leaving at 8:10. (and even under the most optimal of timings, it was never less than an hour to transit a distance that took 15-20 minutes by car).

On the other hand, my husband had good luck for many years taking metro to work--the 20 minute walk to the station was good exercise, and once there, it was a direct shot from the departure station his destination, which was an underground station directly underneath his place of employment.

You know what I would love to see? Some sort of indestructible device at every transit stop that would pull up the the most efficient route from that point to your destination *from that very point in time* and allow you to pay the fare, and print out a ticket listing the transfers that you could just flash to the driver when you board.

Looby · 03-16-2008, 07:10 AM

The town I grew up in had very poor public transport, however the 2 cities I lived in for university had great transport, one underground, one buses, that worked perfectly well for 6 years. Here I also use the bus system to get to work, I think I'll go back to walking when the weather improves though. My s/o has a car for work and it is great to use that for monthly large shopping trips and just be able to fill the trunk, instead of struggling with lots of bags. That's pretty much the only thing we use the car for though.

72Tiger · 03-16-2008, 08:01 AM

I use it on occasion in Knoxville. They have been improving it (still pretty limited), and I like to give it my support every once in a while. Knoxville is still pretty much a car city though.

kav122 · 03-16-2008, 09:23 AM

I grew up in a very small town with NO public transport. After moving to MPLS I grew to love our public transportation. We bought a house right near the light rail. My husband works in the Mall of America, and that is one of the stops. So it takes him no time at all to ride to work, thus saving us from having two cars!

I work in the city, so I can take it the other direction, then hop on a bus and be at work in no time. However, I usually drive because my husband and I work opposite shifts so we don't have to pay a babysitter, and it would take too long to get home on PT. *only by about 15 minutes though* I think that more people should at least give it a shot. I am so sad when I see big busses and ONE person riding!

What a waste!

Also, the light rail is handy when we need to catch a flight, because we can leave the car in the garage and go.

I agree that if you were doing major grocery shopping, it is hard.

Also, I know that the busses are on a schedule, but DAMN! When I get on with a purse, bag and baby in my arms--WAIT THREE SECONDS for me to find a seat. I can't tell you how many times I have almost fallen down!

Gootsy · 03-16-2008, 02:04 PM

I'm a huge pub transit fan. I do live in a city/area with a very good system, and have no interest in getting a car anytime soon.

Groceries can be an issue, but I even live near to a Costco, so can Bus there and cab back and the taxi costs, on a good run, 7 bucks. Which is no problem since I only do it about once a month. Rest of time it's produce store/regular grocery.

Yeah it does bug me when some bus drivers accelerate HARD and stop HARDER just to keep schedule. I've seen a couple accidents from people who've really banged themselves up badly from this. Of course alcohol did have something to do with their steadyness (or lack thereof).

On a side-ish note: I do chuckle to myself when friends of friends hear I don't have a car, and try to sell me theirs. It's happened 3 times so far this year! o.0

khorrell · 03-16-2008, 05:10 PM

The only place I've lived with really workable public transport (for me) was in Honolulu. At the time, the bus was $1, or I think $20 per month, and it went everywhere. Of course, there were some really direct routes and some routes that required multiple changes and a lot of time. I used it almost every day to ride the four stops between my husband's work and my work. We carpooled that far and then I took the bus.

I would love to figure out a workable mass transit for the suburbs, or move to an area with good public transport.

Megan · 03-16-2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kathryn

I'm in the DC metro area now, and taking Metro to the District is not a bad option in some cases, but it's still either a 20-minute walk or bus transfer just to get to the metro station, and it can cost as much as $25 round trip if the whole family is going.

I always feel like the DC Metro system is a bit pricey. Of course, it's still cheaper to take the Metro than to park in DC. My work subsidizes my Metro fares, so I am incredibly lucky, but it always amazes me that to travel to and from the office every day (a whopping 6 miles each way) costs more than $5.

gt0163c · 03-17-2008, 05:21 AM

I wish the area I was in had reasonable public transportation. I looked into taking the bus to where I work and it would require something like 3 transfers, around two hours and an additional walk of around three miles...one way and all to go just over 10 miles. Fortunately I do live in an area where I can walk to church and for some errands.

03-15-2008, 11:22 PM	#1
NaturallyCheap Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 57 Reputation: (10)	Public Transport fan? Who is a fan of popular transports? I have never used my drivers license since the day I got it!

03-16-2008, 04:56 AM	#2
Megan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 306 Reputation: (63)	Until recently, I had never lived in an area with public transportation that I could use. I was either in a town too small to have any sort of transportation, or I was in a city where the bus coverage was spotty at best. That said, I love the DC metro system. I drive my car occasionally, maybe twice a month. It's great! __________________ Counting My Pennies

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03-16-2008, 06:03 AM	#3
Kathryn Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 103 Reputation: (17)	I'm neutral about public transportation. I did not really own a car until I was 26 years old and my son was an infant, and relied on a combination of bike, bus, and bumming rides up til that point. But the BBB combo was, at times a monumental PITA. For example, I remember one early Sunday morning in January of 1994, when I had to walk 3 miles to work in 25-below-zero temperatures (the coldest day in history in that down) because I had a shift that started at 8 am and there was no bus service. Or commutes that took 2 transfers and almost 2 hours, that would have taken 15-20 minutes by car. I've always lived in places with pretty decent public transportation for their size, but the part of problem is that mass transit works OK if you're (1) following heavily-trafficked routes and (2) aren't coping with armfuls of small kids (or bigger kids for whom you have to pay fares) or family's worth of groceries, etc. I'm in the DC metro area now, and taking Metro to the District is not a bad option in some cases, but it's still either a 20-minute walk or bus transfer just to get to the metro station, and it can cost as much as $25 round trip if the whole family is going. And while I did not have a parking space when I used to work at the University of Maryland and would have loved to take public transportation on some days, it was an incredible nightmare trying to figure out the timeliest combination of transfers to get there, as there are no less than 4 different transit authorities servicing the area, and leaving at 8:00 am it may make sense to take a completely different series of legs than leaving at 8:10. (and even under the most optimal of timings, it was never less than an hour to transit a distance that took 15-20 minutes by car). On the other hand, my husband had good luck for many years taking metro to work--the 20 minute walk to the station was good exercise, and once there, it was a direct shot from the departure station his destination, which was an underground station directly underneath his place of employment. You know what I would love to see? Some sort of indestructible device at every transit stop that would pull up the the most efficient route from that point to your destination from that very point in time and allow you to pay the fare, and print out a ticket listing the transfers that you could just flash to the driver when you board.

03-16-2008, 07:10 AM	#4
Looby Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 69 Reputation: (14)	The town I grew up in had very poor public transport, however the 2 cities I lived in for university had great transport, one underground, one buses, that worked perfectly well for 6 years. Here I also use the bus system to get to work, I think I'll go back to walking when the weather improves though. My s/o has a car for work and it is great to use that for monthly large shopping trips and just be able to fill the trunk, instead of struggling with lots of bags. That's pretty much the only thing we use the car for though.

03-16-2008, 08:01 AM	#5
72Tiger Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 291 Reputation: (33)	I use it on occasion in Knoxville. They have been improving it (still pretty limited), and I like to give it my support every once in a while. Knoxville is still pretty much a car city though.

03-16-2008, 09:23 AM	#6
kav122 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 489 Reputation: (221)	I grew up in a very small town with NO public transport. After moving to MPLS I grew to love our public transportation. We bought a house right near the light rail. My husband works in the Mall of America, and that is one of the stops. So it takes him no time at all to ride to work, thus saving us from having two cars! I work in the city, so I can take it the other direction, then hop on a bus and be at work in no time. However, I usually drive because my husband and I work opposite shifts so we don't have to pay a babysitter, and it would take too long to get home on PT. only by about 15 minutes though I think that more people should at least give it a shot. I am so sad when I see big busses and ONE person riding! What a waste! Also, the light rail is handy when we need to catch a flight, because we can leave the car in the garage and go. I agree that if you were doing major grocery shopping, it is hard. Also, I know that the busses are on a schedule, but DAMN! When I get on with a purse, bag and baby in my arms--WAIT THREE SECONDS for me to find a seat. I can't tell you how many times I have almost fallen down!

03-16-2008, 02:04 PM	#7
Gootsy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 239 Reputation: (24)	I'm a huge pub transit fan. I do live in a city/area with a very good system, and have no interest in getting a car anytime soon. Groceries can be an issue, but I even live near to a Costco, so can Bus there and cab back and the taxi costs, on a good run, 7 bucks. Which is no problem since I only do it about once a month. Rest of time it's produce store/regular grocery. Yeah it does bug me when some bus drivers accelerate HARD and stop HARDER just to keep schedule. I've seen a couple accidents from people who've really banged themselves up badly from this. Of course alcohol did have something to do with their steadyness (or lack thereof). On a side-ish note: I do chuckle to myself when friends of friends hear I don't have a car, and try to sell me theirs. It's happened 3 times so far this year! o.0

03-16-2008, 05:10 PM	#8
khorrell Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 370 Reputation: (40)	The only place I've lived with really workable public transport (for me) was in Honolulu. At the time, the bus was $1, or I think $20 per month, and it went everywhere. Of course, there were some really direct routes and some routes that required multiple changes and a lot of time. I used it almost every day to ride the four stops between my husband's work and my work. We carpooled that far and then I took the bus. I would love to figure out a workable mass transit for the suburbs, or move to an area with good public transport.

03-17-2008, 05:21 AM	#10
gt0163c Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 217 Reputation: (33)	I wish the area I was in had reasonable public transportation. I looked into taking the bus to where I work and it would require something like 3 transfers, around two hours and an additional walk of around three miles...one way and all to go just over 10 miles. Fortunately I do live in an area where I can walk to church and for some errands.