I heart public transportation

Last weekend, a few friends and I took the bus to a birthday party at a house off Corydon Avenue.

Since I started attending Red River College, I seem to be taking the bus everywhere. My recent move to Pembina Highway from WhyteRidge has increased my public transport travels even further, and I can’t remember the last time I drove a car.

Taking the bus is not only easier than driving downtown, but it is less expensive, less harmful to the environment, and less stressful on me. Also, it is one hundred per cent more interesting than driving every day. This may seem like crazy talk to die hard automobile lovers, but hear me out before passing judgement.

When I was in Europe last summer, and Chicago last month, public transportation was the only possible method of travel. I am too young to rent a car, and honestly, why would I want to? Drivers in large cities are absolutely insane, and there was no way I was going to try to brave the busy streets behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. I was perfectly content taking the subway or bus, and I even bypassed taxis whenever possible.

There is something both romantic and exciting about public transportation. Instead of sitting in an air-conditioned, closed-off from the world box, a person taking the bus or waiting for the subway is fully immersed in his or her surroundings. Sights, sounds, smells, and conversations all become part of the experience. One never knows who they will meet, what will happen, or, in some cases (like when travelling in foreign cities), where they will end up. There is the fear of getting lost, or running into undesirable characters, but that is all part of being involved in the world.

I will play Devil’s Advocate with myself and admit that public transportation isn’t always a pleasant experience. Sometimes it’s freezing outside, or raining quite horribly. Occasionally, I am forced to sit beside a person who hasn’t bathed. And, once in a blue moon, I encounter frightening individuals who make me genuinely nervous. That happened once, and resulted in a call to the police and subsequent police report.

(For more information on the last scenario, read an earlier post from February titled WARNING to female bus travellers).

But more often than not, public transportation works for me. Taking the bus makes me feel alive, and makes me feel like I am fully experiencing life. The good days outnumber the bad by far, and I won't start driving again unless I absolutely must.