Do you like public transit?

[Gabby]

How are we feeling about public transit? Personally I wish my city had better transit, we only have a few buses and they take forever and are inconsistent. If I was able to get by without a car, I’d 100% do it. What about y’all?

 

[VernalLapin]

I do like it and I wish my area had more of it. Cars are a huge a annoyance for multiple reasons. You have to learn to drive them if you want to go anywhere anytime in the USA, which is dreadfully boring to learn when it’s not scary, they’re annoying because they’re everywhere, plus they can be so loud. Anyway, I may have gotten off topic a bit lol but you get the gist.

 

[danmokun]

In busy cities, sure, I prefer public transit. I like the convenience of it, just that it's usually smelly, crowded and there's always someone stinky or creepy. I often prefer to stand when taking public transit, especially when I'm with somebody. I don't know, I just feel like you gotta be alert out there sometimes, right? I like driving better. I'm quite skilled and disciplined when it comes to operating a motor vehicle. Plus, I'm very patient and can drive for hours without my mood getting sour.

 

[Seastar]

I've never taken it before but I would assume I'd hate it since lately I really don't like being forced into human interaction.

 

[moonbyu]

i like it! i wish my city had more routes. i also wish they didn't take years making said new routes

 

[SkyKnight03]

I don't like taking the local buses. Unreliable and slow, and they only arrive by the hour. I've been stuck in pouring rain because they don't show up on time. Also the people on them tend to be older and very chatty, so I feel a little out of place sometimes.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

I prefer public transit to driving when it comes to travelling to the city or somewhere really far away. But super locally, idk, it's a little too slow. I appreciate that its at least an option though!

 

[Goldi Locks]

I'm at peace with it. Nobody needs to own a car in London. You save money by ditching the car and all the expense that comes with it. You lower your carbon footprint, so you're saving the world and nobody can shout at you to Just Stop Oil, despite it being out of your hands anyway. You do have to deal with people who have disgusting hygiene and that's not fun when it's crowded. But during the week it's less crowded outside of rush hour and you can move away from their gross stench.

I have used the London Underground my whole life and it's oddly comforting to me. Protestors are ruining it lately though. A tube driver was sacked for yelling political slogans over the tannoy when the train was already dangerously crowded with loud drunken protestors who were becoming increasingly aggressive and hostile. Every weekend for the past few months, the protestors block the stations and tube lines, which causes problems. My workplace has had to completely close a couple of times, when the police anticipated a particularly hostile few days and advised the governer close up before dark, despite it being Saturday and winter. My weekend schedule is all over the place due to this and I never know if I'm working or if the pub's even gonna be open in advance. Luckily I can, and prefer to walk, but one member of staff has written off weekends completely due to all this and it's sad because I know she's struggling financially anyway, with kids to feed etc.

 

[Croconaw]

I use it because I do not drive. I prefer to be in walking distance of places I need to go. The busses are usually very crowded. I like to walk when given the opportunity, and it’s good exercise.

 

[Nunnafinga]

I'd love to be able to use public transit exclusively but the city I live in waited too long to create a good long term plan and is now trying to shoehorn a light rail system into the middle of the metro area...too little too late.There are buses here but the bus stops are generally inhabited by assorted riffraff.This city's metropolitan area covers 14,600 square miles so I don't think we'll get any real relief until somebody invents those little flying cars they use in The Jetsons.

 

[daringred_]

my opinion is mixed, but i voted no primarily because i hate buses. it's a sensory nightmare because they can get crowded, they tend to smell weird, and it's noisy. aside from that, they're also not very reliable and i'm not familiar at all with bus routes. i suppose, eventually, i might just have to suck it up though because driving is an anxiety nightmare for me (not to mention expensive!) and not something i can ever see myself learning. that said, i'm perfectly content riding trains but, presently, the rail service in this country is kind of god awful. train tickets can be even more expensive than just booking a flight depending on where you're going in the country, there's always delays and disruptions, assuming your train arrives at all. just overall a hassle and almost as unreliable as the buses lol.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Taking the bus in my area just doesn’t work with me. Having a car is far more convenient where I live as my area doesn’t have a lot of bus stops and is always set on a rigid schedule.

 

[Corrie]

Public transit sucks. I remember in my city when I didn't have a car, I would sometimes just choose to walk. I'd have to wait 30 mins for the bus anyway so I might as well walk, get exercise, and save on bus fare. Or the amount of times I stood there waiting for the bus in the winter and it just never showed up... ugh. Plus the people on the bus usually are creepy losers.

I'm so thankful to have a car and I'd never go back. However in big cities where driving is a clogged nightmare, I'd much rather take public transit as rush hour traffic jams are worse than sitting beside some smelly hobo lol. But any other situation, I want to drive, I want to have the freedom, I don't want to wait for it to show up.

 

[Justin]

Well, if it's actually good, then yes! But that's a tough qualifier. My hot take though would be that public transit is perhaps sometimes over glamorized by those of us who live in places that lack it. Especially since that opinion often comes from vacationing, not actually living it in daily life, which is a different perspective. Even in places that are widely considered to have great public transit, say Japan for example, owning a car is still often considered a luxury by many that they wish to have. No matter the quality of service, there is still a sense of freedom in not having to rely on someone else's schedule or routing.

 

[Midoriya]

Yes, I love public transit and wish there were more options where I live. I don't know how to drive and don't want to learn, nor do I want a car, so having more available public transit would be amazing.

 

[Gabby]

Well, if it's actually good, then yes! But that's a tough qualifier. My hot take though would be that public transit is perhaps sometimes over glamorized by those of us who live in places that lack it. Especially since that opinion often comes from vacationing, not actually living it in daily life, which is a different perspective. Even in places that are widely considered to have great public transit, say Japan for example, owning a car is still often considered a luxury by many that they wish to have. No matter the quality of service, there is still a sense of freedom in not having to rely on someone else's schedule or routing.

To counter though, many people move to large cities for the ease of transit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You aren't wrong but I would say those who have access to it over-glamorize the car life!

 

[magicaldonkey]

i quite like buses!! the view from the top at the front are the bestest seats imo. train journeys are groovy too

 

[Flyffel]

Well, if it's actually good, then yes! But that's a tough qualifier. My hot take though would be that public transit is perhaps sometimes over glamorized by those of us who live in places that lack it. Especially since that opinion often comes from vacationing, not actually living it in daily life, which is a different perspective. Even in places that are widely considered to have great public transit, say Japan for example, owning a car is still often considered a luxury by many that they wish to have. No matter the quality of service, there is still a sense of freedom in not having to rely on someone else's schedule or routing.

I completely disagree, I live in a city with one of the best if not the very best public transport networks (I'd fully believe that it's the very best), and it's mostly a joy to use. And I do own a car, but I only use it to drive outside of the city, or to transport stuff like shelves. So yeah the car is used maybe once or twice a month.

Our public transport is amazing. The annual ticket for full access to all busses, trams, subways and even trains inside the city costs 1€ per day. There is always a station near you, and all modes interconnect in ways that there is a way to get anywhere in the (big) city within about 15-50 minutes. Now 50 sounds like a lot but it is the exception. I didn't want to lie and even entered into Google maps the longest distance between stations that I could think of on completely opposite sides of the city and it takes (less than) 50 minutes to travel between them with public transport. By the way, according to Google maps it would take the same amount of time with a car. Usually I can get anywhere I want to go within 20-30 minutes.

The car is not a luxury here because you can use it in the city instead of public transport. Most people wouldn't want to use a car here in the city. The car is a luxury because you can use it to get outside of the city on your own terms, you can go places where there is no (proper) public transport connection to, especially also other countries since we live close to multiple borders.

 

[Sarah3]

There's not a lot of public transit around where I live, so I don't really have an opinion for or against it.

 

[Kitsuragi]

My hot take though would be that public transit is perhaps sometimes over glamorized by those of us who live in places that lack it.

i get this because i've seen it before but i also disagree, only because i know people who have moved specifically to places that have it.

look at japan for example. if that kind of public transit was available everywhere, i do sincerely believe LOTS more people would be in favor of it. it's quick, cheap, runs frequently and usually set up for major areas to get wherever you'd want.