Tyler Cowen and Megan McArdle both recently posted about streetcars, asking why people like them so much. I’ve been pondering this question myself since I spent a month in Philadelphia last fall, living in a sublet less than a block from a streetcar stop. It was great. And I still can’t figure out why I like streetcars so much more than buses!

I definitely do not think it’s because of charm or nostalgia; the Philly streetcar wasn’t particularly charming (and, having lived right next to the route, I can tell you it was way louder than the bus). I also don’t think I was getting away from poor people; the people on my streetcar were pretty much a cross section of people who lived in West Philadelphia/University City, who would presumably be the same people who’d ride buses, though I never got on a city bus so I don’t know.

I think it’s not so much that I love streetcars; I don’t like them any more than subways. (The convenience of not having to take an escalator or stairs to get to the platform is balanced out by the fact that you have to wait in the cold, rain, or heat.) Instead, I think I just really hate buses.

First, while I have certainly gotten queasy on subways or streetcars and even have trouble reading on Amtrak, buses are far worse for motion sickness. Second, buses get stuck in traffic. (I know streetcars in some cities do, too; this wasn’t a problem with my streetcar line in Philly.) Third, I have never been on any kind of light rail with shock absorption as poor as on the buses I used to occasionally ride in Cleveland when I was in college. I literally felt like my teeth were rattling in my mouth.

I think, though, that my main problem with buses is that they’re unpredictable. They can get rerouted, turn unexpectedly, fail to stop as scheduled, get stuck in traffic, etc. Furthermore, this is embarrassing to admit, but as someone raised in the suburban Midwest where we never used public transportation, I am intimidated by figuring out buses. Anything on a track is easy - there’s a straightforward map of which lines go where. Stops are clearly marked, and there is almost always a map at each stop, or at least a list of stops on that line.

I don’t actually know how people usually figure out which bus line to take, because there are hardly ever any maps posted. On the rare occasions when I need to take a bus, I use the local transit authority’s web site to plan my route and it tells me which line to get on. I can’t remember how I figured out my route when I’d take the bus home in college, because I’m pretty sure that was before those services existed, but I do remember transferring buses in Public Square and being very concerned that I wasn’t standing at the right stop, or that I’d get on the 57B instead of the 57A (or whatever) and it would turn out that it took a different route to its final destination and I’d have to call my parents to come get me from the next suburb over.

In St. Louis, the MetroBus map and schedule page consists of a list of numbered and named routes, with links to schedules and maps. Same story for Philadelphia, where I’m moving next week. I’ve seen lists like this around transit stations, but I guess you are supposed to already know which route you are interested in. There are maps online that show routes; I assume these must be available in printed form somewhere but they’re not posted at bus stops (at least in St. Louis, Cleveland, and NYC, which are the cities where I can remember looking closely at bus stops).

This is how I like to navigate: I was in San Francisco last weekend and took BART from SFO to my destination in the East Bay. I decided to stop in the city to visit a yarn store and get dinner. I wanted to go to ImagiKnit, at 18th and Sanchez, so I got off BART at the 16th St Mission stop, walked down to 18th, looked at the house numbers, and set off in the right direction to my destination some half dozen blocks away. I am sure that I could have taken a bus and it would have been faster, not to mention easier considering I had a heavy handbag and a suitcase.

But my navigational style is to know where I am and where my destination is on the grid, and move appropriately. I can remember where subway or trolley lines are, even in a transit-dense place like Manhattan. If I decide I’d like to ride instead of walking, I can go to a subway stop, consult the map, and decide which line to take. I find that much more challenging with buses because of the unpredictability and the fact that there aren’t maps posted all over the place (presumably, of course, the latter follows from the former).

And that is why I don’t like buses: I would rather walk eight extra blocks than get on public transit when I’m not completely sure where it’s taking me. That bus could go ANYWHERE!

Posted by Amanda in General |