Ridin' the Bus

Bus Boon #1 Lean, green, people-moving machine

I ride the bus because it is environmentally friendly. As a bus rider, I make one less car on the road. With full buses of 50-125 people, that makes a difference in air pollution, in oil production and consumption, and in materials - think of all the stuff that goes into having and maintaining a car! Many of the buses in Vancouver are electric, reducing pollution and smog levels drastically. I have yet to see the "haze" here that accompanies my memories of LA, NYC, Dallas, and Atlanta.

Now one criticism of this boon is that lots of empty buses run, making the system inefficient overall. While I would say this was true in Tallahassee, it is not here (see below). I have yet to see an empty bus. Parking is not a huge dilemma on campus because everyone rides the bus. None of my co-workers have cars, the bus takes them everywhere. What a change of culture!



Bus Bummer #1 Lean, green, people-moving machine

The same thing that makes the bus great also is my biggest annoyance - other people ride it too! Lots of other people. At least on the route I frequent the most. Crowding in the morning means that I rarely get to sit on the way to work and often end up sweaty and annoyed before even entering the lab. Standing doesn't really bother me, but being packed in literally like a sardine while standing on a moving bus does. My bus is an express route, so many people ride it for the advantages of fewer possible stopping points and a ride directly to UBC (well, sort of direct). This is why I chose this bus as well. I also choose to ride at peak times. Guess why these are "peak" times? The afternoon is less of a problem than the morning. In the morning I board in the middle of the route, and it's full from start to stop. In the evening I board at the origin of the route and can choose any seat I want, granted I get in line early enough!

Again, I'm glad and proud that so many people ride the bus, but crowding is a problem on my route, especially on rainy days or when a bus is late. I have tried other routes, and while less crowded, my commute times increases almost exponentially due to the added stops. I have tried riding earlier or later in the morning to no relief.

Crowding bothers me the most when it can be avoided. New riders must board at the front to pay and rely on others to move back to provide room. The problem on my route is that the bus is an articulated bus - one bus with another one hooked on the end (see pic). Going around corners is reminiscent of being on a roller coaster where you can see part of the ride turning ahead of you... This configuration means that there is literally a "pinch point", no joke it's printed on the inside of the bus, where the two buses join with a spinning metal disc for a floor and rubber, accordion-like strips for walls. No one wants to walk across or stand in the connector area. It is a bit scary, although seats and poles are built there. So people don't move past this point unless forced to (I am not such a forceful person, seriously, think of me, nice, not mean). As a result, the front of the bus gets really steamy and full of annoyed people who glare at the people at the back of the bus.

So I always move back a little more at each stop. Or stand or sit near the doorwell if my stop is close so I don't have to wade through the crowd. And always take my backpack off so it isn't bumping or blocking people I can't see. It's okay, really, to be considerate of others.