Spaciousness versus Crowding. Privacy Versus Invasions of Privacy. Orderliness versus needing to cope with anyone and potentially EVERYONE. Welcome to the differences between personal transportation and public transportation.
When you own a car and are the driver- You are both the owner-n- commander. You determine who rides in your vehicle and what behaviors are acceptable to you. You decide what can be brought into your car and what you will can and will refuse to allow be transported within your car. You dominate the mood and the atmosphere of your transportation. You decide when you will start off and you can take the routes most likely to get you most swiftly, pleasantly and efficiently to your destination.
However, Cars can be very expensive to maintain. We know that they are constantly depreciating in value! They must be fueled on a regular basis and expected. In many states, You pay property taxes on them. They are a target for thieves. In many large city, Parking is a continually annoying issues and many drivers see themselves as the victims of exorbitant parking rates. Road rage can make driving a more perilous activity and people often feel that their communities do not have ENOUGH roads and the ones that are there do not get them as smoothly and quickly as possible where they wish to go- they also feel that these roads are improperly and inadequately maintained!
Transit riders get the " leave the driving to us" advantage as they use buses and trains. They save wear and tear on any cars they do own.! They do not need to be troubled by parking concerns, They are using less gasoline and can be seen as people who respect the environment. They can rest and possibly even sleep as they are being transported as well as read.They can meet interesting people and use their cell phones, generally, without any risk.
Public Transportation seems to struggle mightily with staying on schedule. The routes are often all over the place and not usually at all direct. Personal Space is often infringed upon. You can also travel with strollers, shopping carts and people who seem to carry EVERYTHING they own onto the bus or train. You can also have someones loud and inappropriate telephone conversation imposed upon you! You can also by the buses stopping right after leaving a stop to pick up passengers who were not there when the bust JUST FINISHED boarding the properly waiting passengers. You can also be slowed down as driver tries to get people to pay their fares and re-explains to a passenger for the 16th time what bus they are riding and where the bus is going!The Bad hygiene or the too massive girth of the passenger who is pinning you against the wall as you "share"- LOL- Huh- a seat with him or her can sometimes make riding public transportation rather Danteesque.!
Right now, Far More Money is being invested in public transportation nationally than it is in building new roads and improving the ones we currently have. Riding public transit is, in effect, a minority activity in The US! Less than TEN!Percent of the US population regularly uses mass transit. Therefore, Many drivers feel it would be most justifiable to lower the federal support of public transportation and to divert those funds to our nation's roads.
I use Public Transportation because I cannot afford to do other wise. More and more of late, I wish I owned a car!
- Johnny -
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