Public Transportation.

[notoppings]

Do you take public transportation?
Does your area have public transportation available?
Is your public transportation adequate?
Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
How expensive is your public transportation?

I live in a bedroom community of the Seattle Metro area, our public transportation is not convenient it's hours of operation are to short and since it rains here a lot they have decided not to put in covered waiting areas the prices I don't know about because I can't ride it. When I was younger it seemed that the people that rode it were becoming meaner and dirtier to the point where I just gave it up it just wasn't safe. Today I won't even try to get on a public bus even though the gas prices are increasing.

How about your experience on public transportation.

[Mozzes]

No to all of them.

[Vertigo]

I'm starting a new job on Sunday night, it's on the bus route but as luck would have it the bus doesn't run at that time on Sundays.

I'll be riding my bike and even though next week it's night shift I would be much more comfortable riding my bike to and from work. I get exercise, I get to be alone and not have to wait for the bus with other people, they might want to start up some small talk. In the end I will probably get home sooner than the people taking the bus anyhow.

The only time I've ever taken the bus is when my girlfriend and I go somewhere, she knows the buses, I've never used them.

[Xenolar]

Do you take public transportation?
Yes, nearly every single day.

Does your area have public transportation available?
I live in New York. I think that statement answers the question rather adequately.

Is your public transportation adequate?
It all depends. The buses are usually somewhat decent in terms of availability, efficiency, cleanliness, etc. yet I am generally not so fond of the immense crowding that takes place during rush hour, not to mention the fact that the buses tend to arrive in enormous clusters that are absurdly far apart in terms of time. The subway system is even more of a nuisance: despite it's efficiency, there are always enormous crowds and the overall cleanliness and aesthetic appearance of the stations is sub-satisfactory. The adequacy of taxicabs varies from one cab to another (however the ridiculously high prices are always the same)

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Slightly. The massive crowds are very unpleasant, as the presence of unfamiliar people (especially in large crows) makes me feel very anxious and uncomfortable. Yet, I still compel myself to use the public transportation systems on a near-daily basis out of efficiency.

How expensive is your public transportation?
One subway or bus ride costs $2.00, yet this excludes elderly people and young children. In taxicabs, there is an initial fee of $2.50, with an addition 25 cents every quarter of a mile.

[Cuivienen]

Do you take public transportation?
Yes, constantly. I can`t afford a car and public transportation is very well organised in Germany.

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, in my current location there are very good train, bus and tram connections. I ride the tram most often, there is a station 2 minutes from my appartment, trams leave every eight to ten minutes in the daytime and every half an hour at night and will get me anywhere in town I want to go quickly.

Is your public transportation adequate?
Yes, very much so.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
No.

How expensive is your public transportation?
I can use almost any kind of public transportation in a sixty-mile radius for free with my student pass, if i didn`t have that I`d either be paying 1,60€ per ride (in the city) or 46€ for a month pass. I also have a train pass (for 106€/year) which cuts the prices by 50% for any train ticket I buy to get anywhere in Germany, high-speed trains and all. I mostly use it for when I occasionally go home for a weekend. Taking the fastest trains available, the ~350km ride then costs me about 28€ per direction, which is still cheaper than paying for gas for the same route (at least when driving alone, when you are two or more it`s cheaper to take the car).

[notoppings]

Seems like NY and Germany beat Seattle hands down.

[AgentofGaming]

Do you take public transportation?
I don't have a car so... I have no choice
Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, in fact the whole area has it
Is your public transportation adequate?
Adequate to use, I don't know if it's the most convenient thing around. Also since i live on the outskirts waiting for the bus can be 15 minutes during rushhour. Longer if it's not rush hour.
Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Well with the some aversion I have to the world outside my house. However the only thing that really concerns me is whether I can pay for the transit.
How expensive is your public transportation?
$2.25 Canadian pre-paid fare, or $2.75 cash fare
2X more if I want to enter Toronto.

[punkyplatypus]

Do you take public transportation?
If it's basically free, needed, a short duration, and/or convenient. If I need a ride or if someone else is paying for it and if I'm not on there for over a half hour, I don't mind. The college I go to has a local bus service that comes by my place. It saves me gas money & it's free (not really; it's maintained through tuition).

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, but some times the buses are full & they won't let anyone new on. That's a big pain in the butt especially if you're running late or if you've been waiting for a while. I can walk if I need to.

Is your public transportation adequate?
It's decent and pretty reliable, but it could always be better. More buses should lessen the crowds & the time waited. Most them are comfortable and have either buttons or a pull string to signal a stop. If the a/c is broke, it's crowded, or if the signals are broke it gets a little uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Only when people get too close to me, but that's in general. And it's more of a comfort issue than a fear.

How expensive is your public transportation?
Free? I don't know the exact amount, but I know one would have to buy an annual bus pass if they didn't attend the school. The expense factor depends on how much one uses the buses. I use them whenever I can, so I'm probably getting more than my money's worth.

How about your experience on public transportation.
Most of my experiences are uneventful. People usually keep to themselves. Sometimes someone from class will get on and try to talk to me or there will be someone talking loud on a phone or driver takes a sharp turn a little fast and freaks everyone one out.
However, one experience stands out. The buses have seats along the sides and hand rails for people to stand in the middle. I was sitting in one of the side seats and this really attractive girl comes on and grabs the hand rail next to where I was. I guess she wasn't ready when the bus driver hit the gas, because she flew back into my lap. Hot ;) She smiled at me, got up, and apologized. I look over and some guy with a huge smile gives me a thumbs up. If I were a bit more extroverted I'm sure I could have come up with something witty & flirty to say. Needless to say, best bus ride so far.

[mkay]

Don't take it now. Used to take it in Portland, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Hong Kong and San Francisco.

[Zirka]

Do you take public transportation?
Yes, because it is the only way for me to get to school and work. (I live in a suburban neighborhood and my school and job are both downtown)

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, both citywide(bus, subway, streetcar), and train connections to other cities.

Is your public transportation adequate?
Sometimes. The subway stops running at 1:30am, and very few buses run 24h, and even when the buses are running they are often behind schedule, or extremely packed. As well, the streetcars seem to run in packs (nothing for 15min, and then 3 or more show up).
For the trains, they run every hour, as well as more frequently during rush hour, but they often have problems .... and then you're stuck waiting for an hour for the next train.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Not really. My mother, however, freaks out over me using it, especially at night. This is exacerbated whenever there are stories about people being stabbed, or pushed off subway platforms.

How expensive is your public transportation?
City Transit: $2.75 cash, $2.25 prepaid (tokens/tickets), $96 (student discount monthly pass)
Out of City Train: varies by distance. 2 stops $3.75 single ticket, 9 stops $8.15 single ticket, or $7.43 on a 10 ride ticket

How about your experience on public transportation.
Its been okay. I've gotten hit on a few times by some creepy looking old men, but overall it is decent.

[Tenacious B]

Do you take public transportation?
Only a few times when my motorcycle was in the shop. And this was not because I didn't have a ride, but rather that I didn't have a parking permit for my car.

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, there are bus routs run by the university.

Is your public transportation adequate?
Not for me since I live on the outskirts of town. To get to campus is a 5 mile trip, my nearest bus stop is 3 miles away, so it doesn't make sense to use the buses on a regular basis.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
No, but I hate being dependent on someone/thing that is out of my control and not on my personal schedule.

How expensive is your public transportation?
Free for students (but I'm not a student as of a few weeks ago).

How about your experience on public transportation.
Generally tolerable, especially if you get a bus with a/c. The off hours schedules had me waiting for some time to get home, and once the bus broke down during the switch to the night schedule which caused me to wait about 1.5hrs for a bus. Although, on a really busy day I did have a similar experience to punky in that a really attractive girl was practically in my lap. She was standing while I was seated, but her pleasant rear end was right in front of me. ;)

[notoppings]

How about your experience on public transportation.
Its been okay. I've gotten hit on a few times by some creepy looking old men, but overall it is decent.

There I go being a guy again, I never even thought to ask if it's more challenging or difficult riding public trans if you are a female.

[dandylion]

Do you take public transportation?
Yes, if the place I want to go to is too far and will waste too much gas and if I can't get a ride with someone else.

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes.

Is your public transportation adequate?
Yes and no... My city is pretty well connected, like how San Francisco is all wired with the Muni, and there are several transportation options. You probably aren't familiar with the Bart--I like to use that to get to other cities in the Bay Area with ease, but it's pretty maddening that I have to take a couple buses to a city 30 minutes north (or sometimes get dropped off by someone) just because it's the nearest Bart station. They need to extend the lines down a bit more. It would be nicer if California had one big unified transport system, though.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Not really. But sometimes I encounter some scary or freaky people at the stations and get annoyed at the fact that I have to share my ride with them (but hey, it is public transportation). Last night I was on the Bart and I witnessed a guy shoving a man away when the man was trying to sit down next to him and I was afraid he might do something awful like stab/shoot him (but they just ignored each other afterward), and some other guy with a bike laughed when the man was stumbling (I guess they both knew the man and didn't like him). This morning I was on a crowded Bart car and a crazy woman kept walking up and down the aisles, mumbling nonsense and looking like she just rolled around in the hay--there was literally hay and crap in her hair--but a police officer came and took her away... it was kind of amusing. This afternoon when I was waiting for the Bart to arrive at the station, a creepy-looking guy in dreadlocks and a scooter sat down next to me and started chatting with me and tried to get my number (and failed... then tried to get the number of the girl next to me). I've learned to scowl and look unapproachable, but I don't have to do that often as no one really bothers me aside from staring and asking for directions or the time of day. Heh, my friends told me how they were on the light rail last week and had to get off because of some emergency in downtown, and they had to get on a bus with a guy who kept raving on and on about the end of the world and getting in their faces and scaring them witless and such. Anyway, I'm a little more fearful of people on the streets in different cities. I could go on for days about the weird crap I witness in some places, but I won't.

How expensive is your public transportation?
Depends on what I take. In my city I buy a day pass for the bus ($5), on the light rail which I don't take often it's $1.50, on the Muni in San Francisco I pay the student fare of 50 cents, Bart is over $11 and I go on it nearly every weekend.

[Zirka]

There I go being a guy again, I never even thought to ask if it's more challenging or difficult riding public trans if you are a female.

Its probably slightly more challenging for females, because of some rather unsavory males riding around. Guys don't get hit on, and are less likely to be assaulted just based on risk (females seen as easier targets).

I can't think of anything else... other that travelling with children, since it is overwhelmingly mothers taking their children on public transit, and in my city not all forms of public transit are accessible, but the good thing is that many people are willing to help. (I once helped a mom with two kids - carry the one kid in a stroller down a flight of stairs because there were no elevators. As well, streetcars and some buses have stairs to get on/off)

[Entropy]

Do you take public transportation?
All the time
Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, quite a few options. I live more in the suburbs but the trains are extended out far enough that they can take me into the city, or otherwise I can take the buses into the city.

Is your public transportation adequate?
Sometimes there are delays, and the buses and subways follow a loose schedule so who knows how long you'll actually be waiting. It's better than nothing, but there's a hell of a lot of room for improvement.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Not really.

How expensive is your public transportation?
It can get quite pricey, depending.

[Cuivienen]

How about your experience on public transportation.
Its been okay. I've gotten hit on a few times by some creepy looking old men, but overall it is decent.

ditto

[Ytterbium]

Do you take public transportation?Yes.
Does your area have public transportation available?Yes, buses.
Is your public transportation adequate?Yes, a bus every 15 minute. Often during rush hour.
you afraid to ride public transportation?No.
How expensive is your public transportation?Everything is relative, it's still cheaper than car or taxi. But not walking or cycling.

[jesse]

Do you take public transportation?
I use it when I go to the larger cities in Finland. Using a car is painful in the downtown areas, and finding parking space is a bitch more often than not.

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes, while there are a few options, many have been cut and rolled back somewhat. This is especially true with the train connections.

Is your public transportation adequate?
If you are headed toward the larger cities, it's fine for now.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Every now and then there is some publication about harrassment and theft, but I'm not overly scared of using public transportation. So far the worst has only been a few obnoxious drunkards hollering about this and that.

How expensive is your public transportation?
As a student, you get a discount of 50% if you ride a train or buy bus tickets. The standard price is high in my opinion and it does not justify the lackluster service.

[Motor Jax]

it only runs through certain parts of town here, and only at certain times

but i would so take the bus

you know how much i could be reading while waiting in traffic?

[Rei]

Do you take public transportation?
When I have to...
If buses came a little more frequently, I'd take it all the time. But as it is, it just doesn't work that way in NA.

Does your area have public transportation available?
Yes... It didn't a few years ago, but fortunately, there is now a stop at the end of the block.

Is your public transportation adequate?
No... Of course, I call a bus every five minutes adequate.

Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
Depends what it is...
Most public transport systems are pretty simple. As long as you stay on, you'll at least be able to get back to where you came from. Nothing really to be afraid of.

How expensive is your public transportation?
More expensive than some... the amount I save taking public transit is not really worth the trouble.


How about your experience on public transportation.
Depends what time of day it is. It's always horrible when it's the time high school kids get out at the end of the day.

[Snowdragon]

If public transportation was more available in the town I live in (I live in central Florida, the retirement state) hell, I'd take it. It beats having to shout at someone every 30 seconds, having to see the gigantic hummer in my rear view mirror tailgating me, and having to slam on the breaks because some genius decided to pull out in front of me. Plus, it's better for the enviroment.

[Dave C C]

Every place I have ever lived, it sucked.

[AutisticCuckoo]

I live way out in the sticks, and there's no public transportation available.

[Henry]

Do you take public transportation?
Does your area have public transportation available?
Is your public transportation adequate?
Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
How expensive is your public transportation?

I live in a bedroom community of the Seattle Metro area, our public transportation is not convenient it's hours of operation are to short and since it rains here a lot they have decided not to put in covered waiting areas the prices I don't know about because I can't ride it. When I was younger it seemed that the people that rode it were becoming meaner and dirtier to the point where I just gave it up it just wasn't safe. Today I won't even try to get on a public bus even though the gas prices are increasing.

How about your experience on public transportation.

Busses are filled with trashy people who are constantly hitting on you or hitting you up for money. And it takes forever to get anywhere. Its a buck to go anywhere in town, but I'd rather walk or burn the gas in the car.

Trains are a lot better. I actually prefer trains for 300-350 mile journeys because they don't take much longer than a plane and are much more pleasant to ride on. It tends to be slightly cheaper than driving or flying too, and its environmentally conscious.

[Zedicus]

I live outside of Seattle and travel downtown everyday for work. However, I can't bring myself to take the bus even with the expense of parking in downtown. I just do not like being surrounded by that many people ( its usually standing room only on the buses I would need to take). I find driving relaxing, even in the traffic jams, I can be by myself and just think. The up side of the traffic jams for me is that I get to do alot of planning for my programs.

[notoppings]

Parking is getting so expensive downtown, but I'm with you I can't ride the bus.

[Colette]

Do you take public transportation?
Does your area have public transportation available?
Is your public transportation adequate?
Are you afraid to ride public transportation?
How expensive is your public transportation?

I live in a bedroom community of the Seattle Metro area, our public transportation is not convenient it's hours of operation are to short and since it rains here a lot they have decided not to put in covered waiting areas the prices I don't know about because I can't ride it. When I was younger it seemed that the people that rode it were becoming meaner and dirtier to the point where I just gave it up it just wasn't safe. Today I won't even try to get on a public bus even though the gas prices are increasing.

How about your experience on public transportation.

I noticed when I visited the US last year that the public transport (at least in the area I was staying - NJ), was very poor, to the point of being virtually unusable. Intercity buses seem to be OK and frequent enough, but there was no kind of bus or light rail system to get you anywhere within the towns. The whole infrastructure of the largish town where I was staying in NJ, was predicated on the use of the car (even down to money machines which were set up for people to drive past, not walk up to).

I also think that over-dependence on cars in the US is a major contributing factor to the obesity epidemic there; especially for kids, who seem to get driven everywhere. My two boys catch public buses to school in the morning. They attend two different schools, and the younger one catches two buses to get to his school in the morning, with about 15 mins of walking each way also. The older one catches one bus in the morning and afternoon, and then has a 10 min walk each way from the bus to school, and from school back to where he catches the bus home. I think it's good for them, and I don't have any safety concerns.

Here in NZ public transport is pretty good by comparison. It's actively encourages, and most people use it for work commuting, partly because of the environmental awareness here, and partly because the cost of gas and parking is so prohibitive. In the city I live it consists of an extensive bus system and a suburban rail system with about 8 different lines.

I'd like to see our system here get even better - there are still too many single driver cars on the road at peak traffic flow times.

I'd also like to see the cost of PT reduced. It's all operated by private companies here and they are profit-driven (as you'd expect). Because the demand outstrips supply at the moment, they charge ludicrous prices for bus and train fares and keep raising them (e.g. the cost of a bus fare from my house, about 20km from the city centre, is now $3.60 even with a concession card). In contrast, if I took my car into the city I'd be paying around $4.00 in petrol (gas) costs, and around $14.00 to park for the day.

Policy and planning in relation to regional transport infrastructure (including roading and PT) is undertaken by regional and city councils here. Regional planning issues (such as roading, water supply, flood prevention and earthquake/disaster management) are of great interest to me, and at one stage I actually considered a career in this area. At present there seems to be a distinct lack of vision and foresight here in regional planning - and the ability to predict ahead what the area's needs will be in (say) 5 years' time, seems to be almost non-existent, to the point where my local regional council is always in reactive (and never in pro-active) mode.