General / Off-Topic Public Transport, Does anyone actually like it?

[VR] optimal_909

[VR] optimal_909
I am a petrolhead, I own two old cars that are -non petrolhead defintion- old and inefficient. On top my wife drives the company car I'm getting simply because I prefer my old bangers.

However, city driving is often stressful and often feels like a waste of resources. Therefore, every since the company moved the office from the outskirts into the city, I am often taking public transport.
Sure, I'm gauging traffic conditions and choose accordingly - for example in Summer the traffic is much lighter so I drive more often, but my mileage has dropped dramatically.

The interesting thing is that many colleague who were saying 'car only' now starting to use public transport more often - simply because it is worth it in the city.
 

Shinji Ikari

Shinji Ikari
lysan said:
Pleasant is such a strong word 😀 I would say there are places where it work better than using a car, like the metro in Paris, good however would not call it pleasant 🤠
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You do not get stressed from a potential accident, it's undeniably safer and you get to do whatever* you please in it rather than drive, sounds quite pleasant to me.

*Local laws and decency in consideration.
 

lysan

lysan
Shinji Ikari said:
You do not get stressed from a potential accident, it's undeniably safer and you get to do whatever* you please in it rather than drive, sounds quite pleasant to me.

*Local laws and decency in consideration.
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Unless someone decides to mug you, then stress goes to level overload 🤯
 

askavir

askavir
lysan said:
Unless someone decides to mug you, then stress goes to level overload 🤯
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Which is far, far more likely to happen in public transportation than in a personal transport. In fact, things like trains and train/metro stations are crime hotspots in several european countries.

But for me the real decisive factor is time. Using a motorcycle instead of public transportation gives me over 10 hours of extra free time per work week.
 
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Patrick_68000

Patrick_68000
lysan said:
Pleasant is such a strong word 😀 I would say there are places where it work better than using a car, like the metro in Paris, good however would not call it pleasant 🤠
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I didn't think of Paris but rather the intercity trains in the countryside.

The metro in Paris is like livestock transport.

:)
 

Requiem Mortis

Requiem Mortis
I live in london and use public transport for my commute to work. I have an 'Oyster' smart card which is a prepaid fare system (it also accepts smart debit/credit cards), all the buses trams and trains in my commute have NFC touch pads, fare is capped so no matter what combination of transport I use I will only ever pay a maximum fair equivalent to the daily travel pass. I have a 'season' ticket stored on it which is even cheaper. Our bus drivers do not need to make change so no delays there. All our transport has GPS tracking, linked to a phone APP so I can time my arrival to a pickup point so I don't need a time table. The app also provides disruption information so I can be informed of potential delays and make necessary adjustments to my travel plans. I am fortunate to live in city where I have multiple options for my route to and from work.

The only real drawback is it's incredibly (over) crowded at rush hour, (honestly you wouldn't be allowed to transport animals this densely packed together) and I sometimes cannot get on the train/bus particularly if one the preceeding services is cancelled for any reason.

Other than that it's cheaper and more environmentally friendly than owning a car. Given the choice I'd get a motorbike in a heartbeat but I can't afford one right now.
 
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askavir

askavir
Requiem Mortis said:
I live in london and use public transport for my commute to work. I have an 'Oyster' smart card which is a prepaid fare system (it also accepts smart debit/credit cards), all the buses trams and trains in my commute have NFC touch pads, fare is capped so no matter what combination of transport I use I will only ever pay a maximum fair equivalent to the daily travel pass. I have a 'season' ticket stored on it which is even cheaper. Our bus drivers do not need to make change so no delays there. All our transport has GPS tracking, linked to a phone APP so I can time my arrival to a pickup point so I don't need a time table. The app also provides disruption information so I can be informed of potential delays and make necessary adjustments to my travel plans. I am fortunate to live in city where I have multiple options for my route to and from work.
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If all public transportation was like that, then a lot more people would use it. Unfortunatlely only a few cities have this kind of public transportation service quality.
 
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lysan

lysan
Navigare Necesse Est said:
What's not to like about it? You get hugely powered engines. Get ferried around at your behest. Meet people and get close to each other. Can have a nap or read.
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Yeah it’s all fine and dandy, now back to reality.
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Gun Star

Gun Star
Before I started working from home. I commuted to Chicago for work for 7 years. I took the Metra train and it was quite nice. I live in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago, so the train ride was about hour 15 each way. It was great to catch up on work, read, take a nap. There were delays sometimes, but most of the time it was on time. It was a lot cheaper doing that then driving with traffic and paying for parking.
 
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