sorry no pics with this one.
Although we had a couple friends who drove us around a few times, buses were the way to go during spring break especially since students of USF ride for free. So there we were checking schedules and making plans, where to get off, how much time we have in between each bus or even the trolley. Sound like a foreign concept for a Trini doesn't it. Well this is because there are schedules that are actually followed, maybe give or take a couple minutes, as opposed to Trinidad where the bus may or may not come and has now been more or less reduced to rush-hour-only service when everyone is in one place at one time so little can go wrong in terms of being "on schedule", just go at rush hour. Stark contrast with being able to pull up times online and plan a trip. The only bit of hassle was with the Beach Trolley which somehow didnt seem to be on time but we somehow managed not to miss getting back to our bus stop to get home (although there was one VERY close call) Maybe the trolley was a bit lax because of being by the beach? LOL The ultimate in public transport though is in Europe. My trip last year to Norway/Sweden demonstrated an efficiency that must be maintained because of the demand for and widespread use of public transport. You get to the stop one minute late and you literally "miss the bus". The stops for the trams, in addition to having schedules posted, had timers displaying the number of minutes till the next tram arrived, now THAT'S planning.
The other most noticeable facet of bus travel is the demographic. Want to see some wayward or eccentric or MAD people? Those considered to be on the fringes of society, either economically or socially? Take a bus in America. Warning: bus travel is NOT for you if you are in any way skittish. Because when some random person ask you for a light and then strike up a conversation like if they know you for years, you may feel a tad uncomfortable. Me I take it as entertainment. Then there is always the person talking to themselves, nicely dressed, decent looking, and at first you thinking they have a bluetooth on the other side of their head, but no. I have also met some genuine people on buses, nice people who can't afford anything else like myself. Or old people who aren't allowed to drive anymore (that was another time on Greyhound, not this trip) Of course the people-watching starts at the bus terminal/depot, whatever it's called in the U.S. but here you are more vulnerable to unwanted advances from said people. It occurs to me though that bus terminals seem to attract such characters even if they are not there to catch a bus. Is it the public nature of the place? I am open to other theories. No such observations from my time in Scandinavia since it is a preferred means of travel for a mainstream population, so different....
Well I am at the office and keep getting distracted. Thats all for now.
Till nex time...
Although we had a couple friends who drove us around a few times, buses were the way to go during spring break especially since students of USF ride for free. So there we were checking schedules and making plans, where to get off, how much time we have in between each bus or even the trolley. Sound like a foreign concept for a Trini doesn't it. Well this is because there are schedules that are actually followed, maybe give or take a couple minutes, as opposed to Trinidad where the bus may or may not come and has now been more or less reduced to rush-hour-only service when everyone is in one place at one time so little can go wrong in terms of being "on schedule", just go at rush hour. Stark contrast with being able to pull up times online and plan a trip. The only bit of hassle was with the Beach Trolley which somehow didnt seem to be on time but we somehow managed not to miss getting back to our bus stop to get home (although there was one VERY close call) Maybe the trolley was a bit lax because of being by the beach? LOL The ultimate in public transport though is in Europe. My trip last year to Norway/Sweden demonstrated an efficiency that must be maintained because of the demand for and widespread use of public transport. You get to the stop one minute late and you literally "miss the bus". The stops for the trams, in addition to having schedules posted, had timers displaying the number of minutes till the next tram arrived, now THAT'S planning.
The other most noticeable facet of bus travel is the demographic. Want to see some wayward or eccentric or MAD people? Those considered to be on the fringes of society, either economically or socially? Take a bus in America. Warning: bus travel is NOT for you if you are in any way skittish. Because when some random person ask you for a light and then strike up a conversation like if they know you for years, you may feel a tad uncomfortable. Me I take it as entertainment. Then there is always the person talking to themselves, nicely dressed, decent looking, and at first you thinking they have a bluetooth on the other side of their head, but no. I have also met some genuine people on buses, nice people who can't afford anything else like myself. Or old people who aren't allowed to drive anymore (that was another time on Greyhound, not this trip) Of course the people-watching starts at the bus terminal/depot, whatever it's called in the U.S. but here you are more vulnerable to unwanted advances from said people. It occurs to me though that bus terminals seem to attract such characters even if they are not there to catch a bus. Is it the public nature of the place? I am open to other theories. No such observations from my time in Scandinavia since it is a preferred means of travel for a mainstream population, so different....
Well I am at the office and keep getting distracted. Thats all for now.
Till nex time...
1 comment:
LOL, gyul yah eally hi tthe nail onthe head there. iused to take the buss home from college all the time and i met all those same charaters you mention. i even kept a penpal with one guy for about a year, until he started getting really weird on me....ok, so he was wierd before that but i mean weird attached to romantic attentions now....yeah i seem to attract the crazies....
anyway, my guess as to why the terminals attract more wierdos is that is where the travelling wierdos are to begin with and loitering is kind of tolerated since people are sitting around waiting for buses to arrive. also, have you ver noticed the folks who work at the bus depots? i'm telling ya, the one in my collge town, i think there was a rule somewhere that required the collective IQ of all the employees not to exceed the average IQ of one normal human being.
i'd like to see that scandinavian efficiency! heck, i'd like to see the trini system come here! it's cheap and effective!
Post a Comment