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The Pros and Cons of Being a Bus Person
A few thoughts on the benefits and challenges of using public transport.
Pro: No vehicle maintenance
Having a car requires a bit of upkeep and if you’re on the lower end of the economic spectrum, one heavy malfunction can spell disaster.
Pro: No Insurance
Most people on the lower end of the economic spectrum can’t afford to drive legally because of insurance mandates, where I live at least, which require any driver to carry liability coverage at a minimum.
Pro: No paying for gas
Given how gas prices fluctuate the way they do, sometimes it can cost more in gas for a trip to wherever than the trip is actually worth.
Con: It’s a time suck
Bus schedules being what they are, you can manage to just catch a connecting bus or end up waiting half an hour for the same. For me, getting across town to the mall takes three times as long as it used to when I had my own vehicle. The upside is that I can bring a book and catch up on reading.
Con: Other passengers
Some bus people can be annoying as hell, like when they play music too loud and the driver has to call the bus company cops to ‘have a talk’ with the…
