I think my American-ness has really put me off on bus riding. Subways and Trains are the nuts and I’ll take them every time it’s feasible. Buses I don’t even bother to check. But sometimes when abroad I have found myself in a bus situation and it’s generally better than expected. Still have a way to go to over come my busphobia.
I relate. In Geneva we took a bus and it was as easy as the train. Somehow I think my bus experience in LA might be a smidge different.
My assumption is the main difference is that buses in the US are constantly stuck in traffic and that is not the case in Europe. Probably way more dedicated bus lanes and such in Europe.
In North America all the modes of transportation that share spaces with cars tend to suck. Busses and streetcars and bikes and pedestrians are always considered second class citizens on the roads, and mainly managed as inconveniences to the almighty car. Cities literally sacrifice pedestrian and cyclist lives so that car rides that currently take 35 minutes won’t be extended to 45 minutes.
My main issue is related to that: predictability. With subways and trains, you have a very good idea of when they’re coming and when you will reach your destination. Buses seem like a total crapshoot. But apparently some places have worked this out pretty well.
There’s a great express bus from near my house to downtown LA which might be fastest way there that’s not a motorcycle or helicopter, but it only runs during rush hour.
I don’t disagree with that, but I take issue with saying somebody needs a car in the US the same way I take issue with saying you need an upper middle class income to raise a family. There’s inherent classism in “need” where the lived experiences of an awful lot of people are completely ignored.
I’m not saying public transit in the US is good or that it is practical to get around without a car. It definitely isn’t. It sucks really bad. I’m pointing out the privilege of saying something is impossible when so many people manage to do it out of necessity every single day.
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Painting virtual necessities as “privileges” cuts both ways.
The flip side of that is ignoring the inherent hardship involved in going without. It’s almost a conservative trope for them to go on about how people are complaining about tough times while possessing luxuries such as phones, televisions, and refrigerators. Sure you can live without those things if circumstances forced you to.
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I have lived without all of those things at one point or another. I can assure you I am very familiar with the hardships of being poor.
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I think the thing about public transportation is that it’s one of numerous things where lots of Americans who vehemently oppose a better version of it have never actually experienced a better version of it and everything they think about it is made up by conservative muckrakers. This kind of goes hand in hand with telling the dirty poors they should shut up and be grateful with what they’ve got.
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That’s part of it. But there is definitely a group who would be even more opposed to a better version of it. They are getting around in their Porsche Taycan and they’re never getting in buses with dirty poors. Moreover, they don’t want to make it easier for the dirty poors to get to where they live. That’s the exact opposite of what they want.
I don’t doubt that, but you don’t want to accidentally sound like one of those guys. You didn’t but if you’re not super careful about how you describe it, you might.
Oh yeah, for sure. But as per usual there is a vastly larger class of people whose lives would be dramatically improved if the US tried to unwind decades of failed car-centric policy and put in the infrastructure investment necessary to make cities healthier and more livable but those people will continue to be persuaded by FEAR FEAR FEAR narratives from rich assholes that would rather build a wall around their villa and have armed guards patrol the perimeter.
It’s more that most public transportation in America is designed around the cars rather than having car traffic designed around public transport. This means it’s poorly funded, poorly designed, and thus is the easiest to cut when it comes to making budget cuts. Pretty much any American who has used public transport has to deal with that shit. I also suspect that there’s a classist element to public transportation because it’s only for the poors.
There’s the JFK Airtrain, but I wouldn’t call that easy by European standards, with a transfer to the subway necessary to reach the city center.
MARTA goes straight from the airport concourse to all of Atlanta’s big business districts and will generally be door-to-door in 25-35 minutes depending on the destination, at a cost of $2.50. That’s Euro-level convenience.
Seattle is pretty good too.
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Could be true if Zimmer once picked up a Lyft fare. You know, for laughs.
I made about 20-25 per hour, but I selected to work only during surges in a big tourist town.
Also, I assume, before the bigly inflation that we’re experiencing.
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I’d put DC (Reagan) and the SFO airport in the good transportation category as well, though I’ve never flown into those airports in the middle of the night.