Do you ever use public transportation?

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I try to avoid it. And I will not use London Underground.

I have to use it all the time, otherwise I could not go any place, but I avoid crowded trains by waiting until a less crowded one comes along.

I take a train to and from work every day, and it's wonderful. Driving downtown would take twice as long, and cost 5x the cost of my ticket to park there, PLUS the cost of gas. On the train, I can just kick back and enjoy the ride, rather than focus on driving a car.

The train station is also within walking distance from where I live, so I never have to bother with my car.

I get sensory overload in crowded places, and in this city, public transit definitely falls under the category of “crowded places”. I enjoy the motion of being on a bus or train, but unfortunately I can’t handle being packed in like a sardine – people breathing on me, coughing, pushing, shoving. Ugh.

I have no choice but to use it as I cannot afford a car.

I find it very unpleasant as it is crowded and noisey and people often behave in a an anti-social way and the staff do nothing about it.

I have sensory overload because of all the noise and because I am surrounded by people. There are also many seats crammed in to a small space, so I am forced to 'touch arms' with people sometimes which I personally am uncomfortable with because of my sensory processing issues.

I have also been bullied by other passengers who have noticed that I seem 'different'. Again, the staff do nothing.

When I have asked the staff for help, they are generally unhelpful and don't seem to understand the difficulty I have - even if I explain. I have made complaints and the only response I get is an apology followed by confirmation that they do not intend to do anything about the problems I experience.

They have made some (limited) efforts to increase accessability for people with physical disabilities, but don't seem that interested in people with neuro-developental issues.

The announcements are often difficult to hear as they are full of echo and are distorted - so much that they cause me pain. There is often sibilance and I can't hear the consonants properly.

There are also too many high pitched noises from lifts, buggys etc. I have asked why they can't have a slightly less loud noise with a flashing light for people with hearing impairments, or a lower pitch of noise.

They basically said that everyone complains about the noise, but they're not going to change it.

Also staff are rude and unhelpful and often use non-verbal communication. They give me instructions that I don't understand because they are too fast and not detailed enough for me to make sense of them and if I ask for additional information, they either repeat themselves (even though I didn't understand it the first time round) or they talk to me like I'm stupid.

I don't like public transport and don't feel that in it's current state it is appropriate for someone with my disability. But because I cannot afford a car, I am forced to use public transport even though it can leave me stressed and ill.

I used to take the underground every day when I worked in London theatre. I was okay as long as I had my music and no one sat near me though I did get some anxious moments. I still use it on the few times I see my mother each year, but find it a lot harder now as you are often sat opposite people and it is hard to avoid eyes, and people tend to stare at me as I dress somewhat oddly I guess.

Buses I have used a lot and I have always hated them. I hate having anyone sit next to me and tend to lean away. London buses are a nightmare, and I actually had a harder time when they were the routemasters... everyone bustling down the aisle to get out the back.

I travel by train to London and I have issues with that as more often than not, someone sits at the same table and I hate it. I hate having another human face across from me.

I use a combination of subways, taxis, and the Reston Limousine Service (usually take that to the metro station during week days).

I may take a bus (rarely) if I am low on cash (taxi drivers hate credit cards) but i don't like the fact that it stops in places where I don't need to get off. On the train, stopping is OK because the train goes faster than traffic anyway, but with a road vehicle, it's a waste of time to stop since most people don't have to.

For traveling to/from Baltimore and New York City, I take the Amtrak which is blazingly fast (i can get to Washington's Union Station from New York City's Penn Station in 2.5 hours if I take the Aecela (I go Business Class when I take the Aecela) and it takes about 3h25 on a Regional Amtrak coach class train. To Baltimore it takes about 40 minutes on the regional train and 30 on the Acela.

While I'm in DC I use the metro exclusively and rarely find the need to get on a metrobus (if I'm not close to a metro stop, i'll usually just walk to/from the nearest metro station or get a taxi, although taxi inside a city is just as slow as walking sometimes.

I usually won't wait for more than 15 minutes for a bus and I will generally only go on shuttle buses (buses that don't stop much at all). If the wait is longer than 15 minutes, I take the taxi. End of story.

I feel lucky to live in the northeast as it's the only region in the USA that has a true high-speed train (service from Washington to Boston) and although the train costs more than an airplane, the train is so much more convenient and about an hour faster due to the fact that there is no "security check" and you can arrive within 2 minutes of the departure. Washington/NYC are the only cities with good subway systems that I've ever been to. Any city south of DC is a complete mess and isn't worth trying to use public transportation in.

I'm thinking about purchasing a car as cars have certain uses around major cities, although these new Zip Cars/Flex Cars make it less attractive to own a car. If I lived on the west coast I would obviously buy a car.

One thing to note: sometimes the regional trains run slow on weekends so they aren't that reliable but I usually go to new york on a friday anyway and come back on a monday.

When I was living on Long Island I had to commute by train every day on the
Long Island "Snail Road" for two years, it was annoying as all hell!! !
Today I live in York, Pennsylvania I can walk or ride a bicycle to work.
Most of the time I ride a bicycle to get around. I only use the bus to go places
that are inaccessible by bike or foot.

I use buses most of the times. I rarely use trains. They don't take me to places I want to go to but buses do. I don't let crowds bother me. I've never had problems with any passengers. Everyone leaves me alone. One thing I hate about crowded buses would be not being able to sit because all the seats are taken and I hate standing. So far I haven't had that happen to me yet.

The only good bus is a Routemaster.

Hahaha, that's so true. Reminds me of that Simpsons episode when Lisa takes the bus. "Of course you can't sit there, little girl.. that seat's for my coin purse."

But anyway, if the system here was more comprehensive, I'd probably take the bus all the time. I just can't stand driving. As pissed off as the bus people seem to always be, the drivers out here as just as bad, and more likely to put me in a bad mood. On the other hand, if I had a bike I'd probably use that the majority of the time.

Last edited by maldoror on 02 Apr 2007, 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I use public transport for longer distance trips. I don't find it difficult unless it is very busy.
For shorter journeys, I don't use it at all to save money. I will walk a mile home in the pouring rain rather than spend £1 on the bus fare. I'm lucky at uni in that the campus is just one mile from the city centre, so I walk everywhere in Exeter.

Yes. It's cheaper than cars.

I ride the city bus whenever I need to, such as when the person who's supposed to give me a ride suddenly can't do it for whatever reason, or I'm too drunk to drive, and I'm still close enough to the bus stop to make it into the last bus. I couldn't possibly care less what others think. Buses are there for people to ride them, and when it serves my needs, that's exactly what I do.

Only on occasion do I take the bus or rail system. If I'm going someplace where parking's always a problem, I take the bus. Unfortunately, the public transportation doesn't go everywhere I really have to go, so sometimes driving is easier. I'm definitely taking the bus to the Grand Prix a week from this Friday because it's going to be cheaper than parking. I would love it if I got a job in downtown LA, as I could take the rail there, and only drive to the nearest stop which has a nice parking structure.

I can't stand being in such close quarters with strangers.