4 ms·

Driving a car in the US is so ridiculously cheap compared to the rest of the world that only really poor people and crackheads seem to take the bus (outside SF

by aianus 11y ago

Driving a car in the US is so ridiculously cheap compared to the rest of the world that only really poor people and crackheads seem to take the bus (outside SF and NYC). The difference in demographics on public transit in Seattle was striking compared to Toronto where car insurance runs $3,000 a year and gas costs 50% more. Public transportation is just not going to happen in the US unless driving gets way more expensive.

johncolanduoni 11y ago
> only really poor people and crackheads seem to take the bus (outside SF and NYC) Note that you chose the top two of the cities in the US in terms of locations accessible by public transit. Of course people won't use it if it can't get them where they need to go, and they'll probably just drive if there are only a few locations it services. This tends to compound itself because the low usage means trains/buses run less often, making it even less useful (e.g. LA). The price of car ownership definitely factors in, as it results in a lack of necessity for public transportation, but it doesn't mean people wouldn't prefer it if it's available. The price difference between an unlimited metro pass ($116/month in NY, $83/month in SF) and owning a car is still very wide.
- aianus 11y ago
  Having a car is a lot more useful and comfortable than public transit, though. So there really needs to be a huge difference in cost to justify spending money on public transit when you could just spend a bit more and have your own car. We see that in SF and NYC where the traffic and parking situations make driving very expensive in time and money. But elsewhere in the country? Even if it had great coverage, it wouldn't be worth the time and discomfort to take it just to save ~$200 a month (or less, if you routinely drive family members around).
bittercynic 11y ago
>only really poor people and crackheads This is a self-amplifying problem. A large fraction of the times I've ridden the bus in the San Jose area, there have been shouting matches between passengers, people with severe mental health problems riding around because they don't have a better way to get in out of the elements. If your choice is between slow, chaotic, and sometimes frightening bus, and your quiet private car, not too many will choose the bus. When everyone who has a choice avoids the bus, the bus ends up being a rough way to get around.

by aianus 11y ago

johncolanduoni 11y ago

> only really poor people and crackheads seem to take the bus (outside SF and NYC) Note that you chose the top two of the cities in the US in terms of locations accessible by public transit. Of course people won't use it if it can't get them where they need to go, and they'll probably just drive if there are only a few locations it services. This tends to compound itself because the low usage means trains/buses run less often, making it even less useful (e.g. LA). The price of car ownership definitely factors in, as it results in a lack of necessity for public transportation, but it doesn't mean people wouldn't prefer it if it's available. The price difference between an unlimited metro pass ($116/month in NY, $83/month in SF) and owning a car is still very wide.

aianus 11y ago
Having a car is a lot more useful and comfortable than public transit, though. So there really needs to be a huge difference in cost to justify spending money on public transit when you could just spend a bit more and have your own car. We see that in SF and NYC where the traffic and parking situations make driving very expensive in time and money. But elsewhere in the country? Even if it had great coverage, it wouldn't be worth the time and discomfort to take it just to save ~$200 a month (or less, if you routinely drive family members around).

bittercynic 11y ago

>only really poor people and crackheads This is a self-amplifying problem. A large fraction of the times I've ridden the bus in the San Jose area, there have been shouting matches between passengers, people with severe mental health problems riding around because they don't have a better way to get in out of the elements. If your choice is between slow, chaotic, and sometimes frightening bus, and your quiet private car, not too many will choose the bus. When everyone who has a choice avoids the bus, the bus ends up being a rough way to get around.