We had snow storms this week and now I have a new found respect for the Mexican Jitney vans. The buses run by New Jersey Transit were told to stop providing service due to the storm! However, I had no trouble getting to work thanks to the Jitney vans. The Mexican drivers were riding in that horrible weather to earn their money and I have alot respect for that. I was able to arrive at work 20 minutes early since my driver was fast! We have multiple bus lines but the vans are an added service that really comes in handy when the weather is terrible. I don't know why more cities don't employ them and they are 40% less than the bus!
The beauty of being carfree is that I did not have to spend any time or energy digging out an automobile. That are hundreds of cars on the street burried in snow and ice as we speak. There's no place to park because mounds of snow are taking up 20-40% of on street parking. If you do dig your car out, you'll lose your spot and have to dig yourself another spot! No thanks.
I also noticed the lightrail still working during the heart of the storm while the buses (except Jitneys) were told to discontinue service for safty reasons. The lightrail was the main reason I moved to my town in the first place. This past snow storm affirmed my decision.
One more thing. I usually see one person going to work on a bicycle but this past storm took them all off the road. I'm glad being carfree did not force me to ride my bike on the streets for transportation during this storm.