Last Updated on: 21st April 2015, 10:52 am
Sorry, I don’t agree. After having to commute by bus for a week while I had a temporary job, I don’t think so. I kept hearing that old jingle for Ottawa’s transit system in my head every morning and thinking that if they picked it up for Guelph, I’d have to shoot someone. Commuting is certainly not better, and I’m not taking it easy.
Let’s go through what I had to do in order to get to work in Kitchener, a city that is a half an hour away from me by car, for 9:00 by only bussing and walking, since those were my only options if I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg taking a cab and I didn’t know anyone I could carpool with.
First, I looked into when buses went to Kitchener. Since there is no Go service, my only option was Greyhound. Get this. They had a bus leaving at 8:00 in the morning, and didn’t have another one leaving until 8:55! When does work generally start? Usually, 9:00. So, this service can’t be helping folks commute to work. So in order to get to Kitchener before 9:00, I would have to take the 8:00 bus.
Since our city bus system is being royally stupid and making the buses come every 40 minutes at heavy times instead of every 30, because reducing service when everyone wants to get somewhere makes a heap of sense, I could either get downtown at 7:15 or 7:55. Hmmm. My bus leaves at 8:00, and the Greyhound station *isn’t* where the city buses pull in, like in every other city in the universe, *bristle bristle*, so I have to walk a few blocks. Right! 7:15 it is! I get to sit at the Greyhound station for 40 minutes just so I’m not late for my bus. I’ve already bought my week-long bus pass, and the terminal has no food, so I just sit there. It is sort of nice to chill for a bit, but 40 minutes?
So, in order to get downtown at 7:15, I had to be standing at my bus stop at 7:00. To account for Trixie having to take a crap, screwy road conditions, and other assorted loveliness, I left my house at 6:45, which meant getting up every morning at 5:45! Are you tired yet?
I can’t imagine having to take the bus to work every single day. I knew taking the bus would mean things would take a bit longer, but that was just too much. By the end of the week, I was friggin exhausted! AT least on the way home, the bus would stop a couple of blocks from where I live, so I wouldn’t have to repeat the same ridiculousness at the end of the day, when I was more tired and just wanting to get my ass home. But it still meant that I got home close to 7 if I was lucky.
I think the only city nearby with decent bus service is Toronto. Too bad it’s so damn expensive and scary to live there.