I ride the bus to ASU. It is cheaper than buying a parking pass and it is supposed to be easier. My top reasons for hating the bus right now:
- I missed the bus the first Tuesday of class because it was 10 minutes early. I made sure to be out extra early on Thursday and the bus came at the same time it did Tuesday...early. Bus drivers should have to sit and wait at major intersections if they are more than 5 minutes ahead of schedule. *Grump*
- The extra long buses should be the only buses out during peak hours. I am particularly grumpy right now because I just had to be shoved out of the bus, literally. For some reason, the long buses aren't run during peak times of the day on University. So, people have to be jammed in to the shorter buses and it takes 4 minutes at each stop because people have to try to hurdle a hundred others. I guess that is only if you are lucky. Sometimes the driver won't even let you on! Plus, you have a whole bunch of people touching you, sometimes in places you don't want to be touched by a stranger (that happened to me last Wednesday a couple of times) *Grump*
- The bus drivers feel bad for homeless people and let them on free of charge so that they can ride around in the air conditioning. I feel sorry for homeless people, and I don't know how you don't die of heat stroke being homeless in the Phoenix area, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to take up more than one seat on the bus because they have to bring everything they own on the bus. Worse for me is when they are OBVIOUSLY drunk and reek of alcohol. I somehow always end up down wind when that happens. Most of you know that I am really susceptible to motion sickness (see our San Diego post to find out more!). Those bus drivers are lucky I haven't tossed my cookies on the bus yet. (and I think they should pay for the several fizzy sodas it takes to calm my stomach after that!) *Grump*
- I know that it is expensive, but I also think that they should have covered seating at all of the major stops. I'd like it at all the stops, but I am reasonable :) It is too stinking hot here to make people stand out in the sun for 20 minutes while they wait for the bus. I was really happy to see that they finally covered the area where I wait on campus, it wasn't last year. Keep up the good work bus seating cover builders! *half-hearted Grump*
- Finally, bus drivers should be given a personality test. I know that there are idiots out in the world, but that doesn't give drivers the license to treat all of their customers as idiots. They should be kind and helpful! The other day I was on a bus where the driver berated this old man because he didn't stand up to flag the bus down fast enough. It just wasn't necessary. *Grump*
So, I think that's about it for now. It's at least all of the time I can justifiably spend on this :) Love and better bus rides in the future to everyone!
4 comments:
Oh my goodness. I've never ridden a bus and I don't think I ever want to after that post. Maybe Zane should write an article about how to improve the bus riding experience in his magazine (BUSride). I'll tell him to. Then maybe in 10 years it will get better.
So, Jeff thinks that I can't say that riding the bus is cheaper since it is free for me because I am an ASU student. However, I submit that it costs me time--waiting for the bus, and then the extra time to get home due to frequent stops.
Everything you just mentioned is why nobody wants to ride on transit buses.
Except the homeless thing, that was new.
Our magazine is kind of a touchy feely good time, but i am really interested to look into this.
Look on the bright side, you could have another passenger get motion sick and hurl on you, it could even be one of the drunk homeless guys and you could have alcohol puke. Think how that would be at the next uncovered bus stop you have to wait at for twenty minutes in the sun. I feel for you though. Courtney's convinced me to let him drive to school even though he get a free bus pass too.
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