It's another lovely day, where you get to go to work. Excited?
.
No? Yeah, figured.
If you're one of the lucky few with a workplace just opposite your house, Kudo's to you.
Some people are lucky enough to have a car. Others are misfortunate as they are helplessly cornered into using the Pubic Public Transportation System.
And if the Public transportation system is nowhere near reliable,
Say goodbye to your time wasted waiting.. waiting.. and waiting.. zZ
Lets face it, Commuting sucks.
It doesn't matter what mode of transport you use.
6. Anti-Meter Taxis
And so the day starts off. There aren't any Bustops or Train Stations near your place. Whats the next best option? Flag a taxi, To get to the public transport.
Picture not related
Heres the part where you Roll an Imaginary 5 sided Dice. (Numbers run 1-5)
Rolled a 5? Thats great! You've found a Taxi that charges you by the meter. Honest Taxi Drivers like these deserve a tip.
4? Hey, This Taxi uses a meter too! Aren't you feeling lucky? Sit back, take a nap, enjoy the ride. Eventually you reach your destination. Either one of two things just happened.
- Lets just say there is usually more than one route to your workplace. You just went the long way.
- The meter is just a toy. You're still getting charged a flat rate thats 150% of the actual price for the distance you just travelled. This is by the way, the same as rolling any number between 1-3.
Dammit, Biased Die
Wait, Why?
Apparently, Some taxi drivers wages are barely enough for them to sustain a living. The extra charge also pays off for money they've lost while stuck in 'traffic jams'* during the journey. Guess we could think of it as charity. Every extra buck they make easens their daily burden.
* *Cough* Bullshit *Cough*
5. Sardines (People Jams)
Finally, The Train station. Before you step on, here's a chance to breathe and cooldown from any rage you may have after being ripped off by the taxi.
Or not..
Or not..
"You and I, We're not so Different. ."
Comfort is not in the dictionary of the Public transportation system. Keep in mind this doesn't just happen on trains, but on busses too. Too often you'd be stuck standing all the way, smelling the armpit of someone with really bad BO.
That isn't the worst part. People often force their way in, Because they don't want to be screwed by their bosses for turning up late at the office. While forcing their way in, Train operators often encourage passengers move to the center of the train to allow others to board.
This creates a new problem. Now you have to force your way out, with the added risk that you won't make it anyway since its rush hour, and people will be pushing their way in.
Can't really blame the train operators, They do make an effort. Very often announcements are made to boarding passengers, encouraging them to make way for alofting passengers before barging their way in.
Unfortunately, This is to no avail as these operators do NOT have the same level of influence as Denzel Washington in Pelham 123.
"Please allow passengers to alight before boarding."
Wait, Why?
People would rather squeeze than wait a few minutes for another train. Because it probably won't make much difference if they do.
4. Transports Not Arriving/Leaving on Schedule
You wake up not-so-restless, Get dressed, and Rolled a 5 with the taxi.
Feeling lucky? For once things are going your way.
. . Then Murphys (pessimistic) Law kicks in. You reach the bus stop, but the bus is nowhere to be seen. Then you wait, for what seems like forever.
That's right, Snooze.
Just make sure you wake up when the bus arrives.
Sooner or later, the public transport arrives. Still feeling lucky? Good, you're on the way to work. There may however be the alternative of the Bus Driver taking a tea break. This of course means you have to wait even longer. But you can't blame him/her, Everyone needs a rest. Something to ponder about,
"The world would be a better place if busses were automated."
Wait, Why?
Two possible reasons:
- It rained, so a traffic jam
- It didn't rain, but theres a traffic jam
- The bus driver won't drive until the traffic jam vanishes
- They're waiting for more passengers so they can pack em like sardines
Not sure if the next point is better or worse. .
3. Public Transport Services, Jumping You
This doesn't happen everywhere. (Or does it?) If a bus is packed like a can of sardines, theres no room for anyone else. So the bus ignores its designated stop and continues on with its jouney. Ok, Thats justified. But sometimes. .
Wait. . Isn't that a disabled person sign?
The public transport just jumps you for seemingly no reason. A totally empty bus, or train. I've personally seen it happen, and I'm pretty sure there was no label to indicating that particular carriage is exclusively for the disabled.
Wait, Why?
Just a wild guess, There's more than one stop every bus/train has to make.
Lets call them stops A, B, .., G. Now lets imagine,
- Pick up 50 People at stop A
- Drop 4 People at stop B, Pick up another 15
- Reach stop C, and theres no space because no one gets off.
Stop C never gets a chance unless an empty bus/train jumps stops A/B to get there. Comprende?
Another scenario. No Taxi's? No Bus? You're forced to. .
2. Take a Walk
It took only 5 minutes with public transport. Shouldn't take much longer on foot right?
.
Actually. . It might not be so bad to own one of these:
A Honda Walking Assist
Not to get all Mathematical, but here's the facts:
Travel 5 minutes in a Bus going at 60 km/h. You just travelled 5 km.
The average human walks at 5 km/h. (Citation needed)
You probably figured out by now how long the walk would take.
On the flip side, walking is healthy since you burn calories.
But on some days, It just wont do.
Fortunately, The kid has a bicycle
Wait, Why?
Impatience kicked in. If only you'd waited a little longer,
Because the bus WILL overtake you.
1. The Traffic Jam
All that work has finally paid off. Congratulations, you have enough to purchase a car. No more sardining, taxi charity, walking in the rain, and time wasted waiting for public transports. Hooray!
Sadly, theres still the Universal Problem known as the Traffic Jam,
The Vehicle version of Sardines.
Don't you just love those shift-the-car-out-of-the-carpark puzzles?
Here's the live action version
The traffic jam is probably the root cause of many delay's during your daily commute. Best way to avoid it? Wake up really early. But hey. . Lets be realistic, How long can you keep it up before the fatigue takes it's toll on your body? If your answer is forever, you have my respect.
Wait, Why?
Just an opinion, Most commuters eventually get sick of taking public transportation. So, they buy cars and indulge in the comfort. When theres too many cars on the roads, The roads become the equivalent of a Bus/Trains. The cars on become the equivalent of the people cramped into that Bus/Train.
On the Brightside, At least in a car it's not so claustrophobic.
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