The Irony of Public Transportation in LA

Driving to work or school is generally faster than taking the bus, right?  Right.  If you have to drive about 30 miles, that drive usually takes a half hour to an hour. But on a bus that may take an hour and a half or two.

So the irony of taking the metro in a large city like LA/OC/SD is that one has to have the luxury of time to be able to afford it. Same goes for someone who wants to bike to work.  It will simply take more time to get to point B.

It’s interesting how alternative transportation (bike or bus) is usually associated with poor people but these are the same people who have their lives adjusted (because they have no other choice) to be able to do these things.

But for me… I have a car and the bus is a godsend…

For someone like me who can (and often does) get stuff done on the phone or laptop, I stay plenty busy on the bus.  In fact, instead of being incapacitated for the half hour that I would normally have to drive, being on the bus forces me to work for an hour or hour and a half.  I could be writing a blog post (like this one!) or reading a book or preparing for a presentation.  Or sometimes I may just sit there and do nothing but listen to music with my eyes closed, which is a very rare opportunity in today’s day and age if you think about it.

The downside to the bus is that I have to stand if it’s full.  Many women have also told me, “You’re lucky you’re a guy, I can’t take the bus.”  I guess some people don’t feel safe.  The other problem is that if I have my bicycle with me and the bike rack is full, I may not be able to get on the bus.

But there are so many cool advantages!  I don’t have to ever worry about getting a speeding ticket or a parking ticket.  And if there’s traffic, it’s not my problem.  It’s the bus drivers problem.  S/he is my chauffeur. Plus, I’m not wearing out my car.  Also, I’m making use of a vehicle that’s going to be running whether I get on it or not, so why not use it and not add more smog to the world?

So anyway, that’s some food for thought this morning.