Annoyed on the bus

There are certainly unwritten rules of the bus--I often refer to this code of conduct as "bus etiquette". It's come to my attention that not everyone seems to have picked up on this code, and here I will have to call them out.

Headphones: On the top of my list of bus annoyances are those people who have headphones on but have either music so loud or headphones so poorly made that their music blares for all around them to hear. See everyone around you casting hateful glances? Yeah, we're all thinking we don't want to listen to your "Club Hits Vol. 8" and that you need to invest in better headphones or turn the volume down.

Food: It amazes me the variety of food that people bring on the bus with them. I can see snacking on a granola bar or something of that nature but bring a personal pizza onto the bus? A subway sandwich? First, while they smell good--I don't want to ride for an hour smelling food I can't eat. Second, these choices just seem messy. If the bus hits a pothole, the person in front of them is going to end up with a hat of mozzarella and sauce or the floor will be carpeted in shredded lettuce. These just aren't travel foods, people!

Phones: It's understandable if you need to make a quick call on your phone to handle some kind of important business while you're on the bus. It's also understandable to answer your ringing phone (and preferable if you have an ultra obnoxious ringtone) while you're on the bus--but carrying on hour long conversations just isn't appropriate. The people that don't understand this rule, also insist on speaking loudly and about inappropriate topics. We don't want to hear your conversation but in such close quarters, it's unavoidable. Tell your caller you're on the bus and will call them back when you get off, please.

Baggage: This is a commuter bus, it goes from Greensburg to Pittsburgh--not from Ohio to Pittsburgh. There is no need for the amount of baggage some people bring on the bus with them. A briefcase is acceptable. A backpack or messenger bag is acceptable. A purse is acceptable. One passenger will all three of these accessories and more is not acceptable. Everyone on the bus will roll their eyes as if synchronized and a passenger gets on lugging a tote bag, a duffle bag, a suitcase, a purse, etc with them up the aisle. Each person in an aisle seat is bound to be cracked in the head with one or more pieces of this excessive baggage. I see no need for it! Sometimes I see women (the business type who wear skirts, pantyhose, and sneakers) with a purse inside of a slightly bigger purse/tote bag. This isn't quite as unacceptable as it is weird.

If you fit into any of these categories, stay off the bus.

Eco-bus update

I ended my last post with disappointment as I was thrilled to hear of new technologies in electric buses, but was discovering that in ten years there didn't seem to be any new developments. I was wrong however. Once again, I've looked to the New York Times and this article, written in October of this year, explains that fleets of electric buses have in fact been showing up across the country over the past ten years.

"Transit systems from New York to Taipei, and from Ames, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Mich., are adding hybrid buses at a rapid clip," the article explains. "New York, by far, has the nation’s biggest fleet of hybrid buses, which run on electricity and diesel fuel, with nearly 1,000 in all five boroughs, most in Manhattan."

One of the main problems with the buses mentioned in the previous article was their cost, at $1 million, it seemed impossibly expensive for cities across the country to replace their public transportation system with these new vehicles. The latest Times article says "the price has dropped by half, although hybrid buses are still twice as expensive as conventional diesel buses."

Still, the savings in fuel costs that these buses bring to city budgets (50,000 gallons of diesel fuel saved for a 45 percent improvement on fuel economy) may make them a worthwhile investment.

Check out the article and consider the possibility of these buses appearing on the streets of Pittsburgh in the future.

Eco-buses

Commuters relying on mass/public transportation may feel like they're doing their part to keep the environment clean because they're not all driving to the city alone in their cars, each puffing carbon dioxide exhaust into the air. But what about the buses? Sure, the number of buses needed to carry throngs of commuters to and from the city is much less than the number of cars it would require to carry that same amount--but buses are certainly not the cleanest forms of transportation. Anyone standing at a bus stop can tell as these beasts roll by, often sputtering toxic black clouds and noxious fumes from their rear ends.

I did find hope for the future of buses from this New York Times article. Writer Matthew Wald reports that electric buses are making their way into rotation, specifically as shuttles between terminals at the Logan Airport in Boston. According to the article, these new vehicles are "powered by two electric motors, one for each rear wheel, and a natural gas engine" and are composed of "more fiberglass than steel, [and] is two-thirds the weight of a regular bus."

A drawback to these eco-buses are their cost, which is about four times that of a typical gas-guzzling bus. As technology progresses, it is suspected that the price for electric buses will drop. The added bonus of fuel savings may factor in to making the bus more affordable as well.

While I immediately felt hope when I read this article about the future of mass transportation, I will admit my heart sank a bit when I noticed the piece was written in 1999--TEN YEARS AGO! Maybe ten years is a drop in the bucket when it comes to electric transportation technology, but it definitely makes me feel like we should have been seeing these vehicles rolling out in mass production by now.

Bus drivers are bad drivers

Reading this article from the Chicago Tribune was shocking and not shocking at the same time. A bus driving through someone's home? Wow, that's crazy! Can I imagine any of my bus drivers doing the same? Yes.

Just the other day one driver (who I often refer to as Angry White Haired Guy) blatantly drove through a red light by Duquesne University. Student pedestrians on the sidewalk were all shooting him enraged looks as he pulls right through throngs of people attempting to cross the street--he drove right through the red light. I've been in the bus with this same driver when he was involved in a bit of a fender bender in Oakland. He has road rage and thinks because his vehicle is bigger than most of the others, he can drive however he wants. It's definitely a bit disturbing at times.

Extreme Commuting

This Business Week article tells the sad tale of extreme commuters--those poor souls who travel up to six hours from their homes to their jobs. The idea that their salary, affordable home, or closeness to good schools or family may lead extreme commuters to take up these travel habits but often doesn't last long. One man quoted in the article claims it's the biggest mistake of his life.

The article also grimly reports that, "studies show that commuters are on average much less satisfied with their lives than noncommuters" and "commuting is also associated with raised blood pressure, musculoskeletal disorders, increased hostility, lateness, absenteeism, and adverse effects on cognitive performance."

After reading this article, I definitely don't feel as bad about my hour commute but do feel a sense of growing dread for the future. Many of these people travel for several hours to work out of necessity and who knows what job and home I'll find in the future. Still, if the option arose to take a well paying job or a more affordable home but face a six hour commute--I would probably have to opt for a different job or home.

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