I really hate the bus - rant
 

Woke up this AM to pouring rain. With few really rainy days in NorCal, I am not set up to ride the rain- no fenders, no rain clothes, and no shower at work. Not a problem when its dry, but no good in the rain.

So I have to take the fricking bus. Go down to catch the 6:50, its non exsistent, stand around under the umbrella for 20 minutes waiting for the next one, which of course is full now. No seats, standing around with a bunch of other wet people bumbling through traffic- arghhhhhhhh!!!!!!

My normal bike commute is about 50 minutes, normal bus ride is 55minutes, today's bus ride 1:20. Not a way to start Friday. But outlook is good for the weekend. Will try to tack on the 30 miles I would have commuted to my normal 60m saturday ride. Maybe an impromtu century on Saturday- anything to erase the memory of this AM.

oh crap- I have to take that bus home dont I..............

I think the only problem with commuting by bike is dealing with the days you can't!

Thanks for the place to whinge....I feel better now.

It is a little funny that your forum name is "Waterboy." The bus is definitely horrible.

I live for Irony!

Name reflects my other passion- competitive sailing. I certainly dont mind getting wet doing that

Seems like that first bus was early (worst thing a bus can do)

They eliminated that problem in our metro area by attaching a GPS unit and radio transmitter to every bus. They have a "mission control center" that slows all buses that are running early and speeds those running late (if possible)

Pretty much all the buses, with the exception of the heavily urban routes, are on time to within 2-3 minutes.

I like our buses...on time +-5 minutes, never full, bike racks, mmhmm I likeeee

All our buses have bike racks as well...

Dude, I feel the same way, WHEN I TAKE MY CAR! Even though it takes less time, I have that guilty feeling of putting on an extra 15 miles or so when I didn't need to. Plus, I feel a lot worse, like, I never really wake up if I don't ride the bike...

I finally got sick of depending on the bus, and got an old Schwinn Voyageur that I could install fenders on. Fenders are on now, and I've got GoreTex, so I'm ready for all but the 98 degree steaming light rain days, where I guess I'll just get wet and shower at work.

Wow! I want to move there! Where I live, the bus is never on time. I might wait for 30 min and then 3 come along. I live in Chicago where it is hell to be stuck on a crowded bus in heavy traffic, especially on a rainy day (like today). Well, now I have to go wait for my bus. Arghhh. Soon, though, very soon, I will be ready to ride my bike through rain...maybe, even snow. The transit people are even talking about raising the fares here to, maybe, $3.00 a ride! Jeez...

Agreed. His transit system for the bus is incredible.

I've given up on the bus and now use lightrail which comes every 10 to 15 minutes so I'm spoiled. I was a long suffering bus rider for years and weekend service continues to be horrible. On a Sunday morning, you basically have to call a cab if you need to get somewhere fast.

I boarded a bus a week ago (due to rain) and discovered how expensive and sickening it was to ride those packed lumbering giants. I was feeling ill with nausea the moment I walked out. What a difference Lightrail is compared to the bus and I now know why GM destroyed the trolleys! Lightrail has so much more room and the ventilation is waaaaay better giving a more pleasurable ride. The Lightrail doens't wobble all over the place making you feel sick and it's cheaper if you buy the monthly pass. The cost on Lightrail is only .66 cents compared to $1.70 one way for the bus. To be fare, the bus does offer a monthly but I would be out of my mind to even consider such a sacrifice.

Given the option between riding a bus or a bicycle, the choice is easy. RIDE THE BICYCLE!

Bus service in my area is good -- on time, bike racks, clean, quiet, seats almost always available. The only problem is that sometimes all bike racks are used!

Nonetheless, I almost always bike. I ride if the distance I need to go is very long or on the very rare occasions I'm unprepared for weather.

RFM