It's just a quick jog around the block, up and over the flyover across the busy city highway, and down the other side to catch the 408. The bus arrives and it's more than packed. We push on anyway, understanding that any bus in this city at this time of day will be equally packed. There's no waiting for one more empty because there won't be one.
Our multi-pass cards are in our wallets and we simply touch the keypad at the front of the bus to register our fare. All of 11 cents for two of us to ride five miles. We're stuck on the steps of the bus, right up by the driver, with about ten other people. The bus keeps stopping and more people push on. Not for the intrepid, these busses. Some people pass their card in for a swipe and then trot back to the middle to push on there. We keep getting hit in the shoulders every time they open and close.
Finally one of the little men beside us motions toward the back and we see that a miniscule amount of space has opened up. He leads the way and we get almost to the middle of the bus. By the time we reach our stop, some of the congestion has cleared, but there still are no seats available on the bus.
Coming home two hours later, we both get seats for the whole ride. Time makes a difference.
Why bother with a crowded bus? It's the sense of freedom that comes from having a multi-pass and a basic knowledge of public transportation. Free from the need to tell a taxi driver, in fractured Chinese, where we want to go. Free from the nightmare of driving ourselves, or the hassle that would come from trying to find a parking spot in a city where they come dear.
True, there are times when a car would be nice, such as when one has large packages, but that's rare. More times than not one is simply going from point A to point B with a small backpack or purse and umbrella.
Before long we'll leave the city of mass transit and head back to Motor City. There will be two cars in the drive and gasoline to purchase. We'll miss the life of ease in motion. No busses, no trams, no subways.
And of course, no where nearly the volume of people who make it possible to offer a ride across the city in busses back to back for a mere 11 cents.
1 comment:
You're right, travelling with packages doesn't work well and is rarely observed in Asia; probably a outcome of economic factors. Meanwhile the overhead bins are no longer sufficient to hold the domestic flyer's roll-a-boards in the US.
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