5 ms·

I'm sure all the seniors love riding public transit.

danso 8y ago
Lots of us younger folk are cool with it too. The point is that having it as an option, rather than being stuck at home unable to drive, is a big quality of life issue.
- atomical 8y ago
  It was sarcasm.
- paulie_a 8y ago
  I am still relatively younger and I work in an office literally located in a train station. I still avoid public transit as much as possible. The only exception is Amtrak. Public transportation sucks.
  - mattnewport 8y ago
    That very much depends on where you live. It's generally a lot better in Europe for a variety of reasons: historical, political and geographical. I use public transit quite a bit here in Vancouver but my limited experience of it in SF gives me some appreciation why people might not want to use it there.
    - atomical 8y ago
      People smell better in Europe? When people trot out their arguments against public transportation they always refer to the inefficiencies and completely ignore the human element. No one wants to be crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers every day.
      - mattnewport 8y ago
        I'd say the median public transit user in Europe smells better than the median public transit user in SF yes. In Europe public transit tends to be used by a much broader cross section of the population. No one wants to be stuck in bay area traffic every day either. Public transit is used for a higher percentage of journeys in Europe though because it's a better option relative to the available alternatives than it is in much of the US. If we had free teleportation I imagine you'd see very few people using any other form of transport. There is probably a degree to which public transit usage is higher in Europe not because it is a better experience than it is in the US but because driving is a worse experience. Based on my own experience it's a bit of both but clearly usage levels vary around the world due in part to varying tradeoffs between transport options based on historical, geographical, political and economic factors. There may also be a cultural element as well where preferences vary but I don't think that's the biggest factor.
      - dasil003 8y ago
        No one wants to be stuck in traffic either. In Europe the equation is different in terms of road space, density, transit and parking availability.
      - iainmerrick 8y ago
        Like... an office?
      - beefield 8y ago
        > No one wants to be crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers every day. I take 15 minutes crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers over one hour of solitude in a small metal box with windows any day. Nobody has managed to explain me how self driving cars reduces congestion. It is space that is the limiting factor, and I do not understand how autonomous cars reduce the need for that. Vice versa, rudimentary economic analysis says that if you do not need to concentrate on driving, you can spend more time in the car, thus sitting in the traffic is not that bad and more people are willing to do that -> more congestion.
        arbie 8y ago
        > I take 15 minutes crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers over one hour of solitude in a small metal box with windows any day. I am reasonably sure economics will change that. > Nobody has managed to explain me how self driving cars reduces congestion. It doesn't, but it allows the work day to begin at commute time. Those that don't adapt will simply have fewer "work hours" to make up the lost productivity. I suspect the bumpiness of roads will become a public nuisance once people start reading/computing in-car.
        Dylan16807 8y ago
        > I take 15 minutes crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers over one hour of solitude in a small metal box with windows any day. Why those durations? I would expect a typical car trip to be faster than transit, since it takes a direct route with no stops. If transit is even as fast as driving, I'll take it 90% of the time. But that's quite an undertaking.
        rsynnott 8y ago
        In a dense city with a lot of traffic, public transport will often be faster than cars because it has segregated (for trains, metros etc) or semi-segragated (most trams, many bus systems) routes.
        wool_gather 8y ago
        > I would expect a typical car trip to be faster than transit Compared to buses on the same roads (i.e. without a dedicated lane), sure, but not to subways/light rail.
      - conradev 8y ago
        I love "the human element". I might be in the minority here, but I actually like taking public transit to see a city. Meaning not just the geographical features, but also the people in it. I would prefer a bus or train to a private car any day, assuming it's reasonably clean and not overcrowded.
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - rsynnott 8y ago
        Possibly not showering is just more socially acceptable in the US or something? I dunno, I see this a lot on these discussions, but it’d be fairly rare that I encounter a notably smelly person on public transport here. Being on a bus/tram/train with strangers never really bothered me, to be honest. When I walk down the street or onto a shop, I’m also surrounded by strangers; what’s the issue?
        mjcl 8y ago
        My experience (mostly BART & SF Muni Metro) is that “smelly person” is a euphemism for homeless person.
iainmerrick 8y ago
In parts of the UK, seniors get free travel on buses. That’s very popular. Even where it’s not free, buses can be great for older people who aren’t able or confident to drive (due to mobility, eyesight, etc). If your buses aren’t popular with old people, you have bad buses.
- wongarsu 8y ago
  In Germany, even among elderly that could drive buses are very popular (even though they have to pay). Driving a bus is a lot more social than sitting alone in your car. They meet old friends or they make new ones.
rsynnott 8y ago
In places with decent public transport, why not? In many countries, it’s free for people over whatever age to use public transport, and it’s obviously more practical for many elderly people than driving.

Lots of us younger folk are cool with it too. The point is that having it as an option, rather than being stuck at home unable to drive, is a big quality of life issue.

atomical 8y ago
It was sarcasm.
paulie_a 8y ago
I am still relatively younger and I work in an office literally located in a train station. I still avoid public transit as much as possible. The only exception is Amtrak. Public transportation sucks.
- mattnewport 8y ago
  That very much depends on where you live. It's generally a lot better in Europe for a variety of reasons: historical, political and geographical. I use public transit quite a bit here in Vancouver but my limited experience of it in SF gives me some appreciation why people might not want to use it there.
  - atomical 8y ago
    People smell better in Europe? When people trot out their arguments against public transportation they always refer to the inefficiencies and completely ignore the human element. No one wants to be crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers every day.
    - mattnewport 8y ago
      I'd say the median public transit user in Europe smells better than the median public transit user in SF yes. In Europe public transit tends to be used by a much broader cross section of the population. No one wants to be stuck in bay area traffic every day either. Public transit is used for a higher percentage of journeys in Europe though because it's a better option relative to the available alternatives than it is in much of the US. If we had free teleportation I imagine you'd see very few people using any other form of transport. There is probably a degree to which public transit usage is higher in Europe not because it is a better experience than it is in the US but because driving is a worse experience. Based on my own experience it's a bit of both but clearly usage levels vary around the world due in part to varying tradeoffs between transport options based on historical, geographical, political and economic factors. There may also be a cultural element as well where preferences vary but I don't think that's the biggest factor.
    - dasil003 8y ago
      No one wants to be stuck in traffic either. In Europe the equation is different in terms of road space, density, transit and parking availability.
    - iainmerrick 8y ago
      Like... an office?
    - beefield 8y ago
      > No one wants to be crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers every day. I take 15 minutes crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers over one hour of solitude in a small metal box with windows any day. Nobody has managed to explain me how self driving cars reduces congestion. It is space that is the limiting factor, and I do not understand how autonomous cars reduce the need for that. Vice versa, rudimentary economic analysis says that if you do not need to concentrate on driving, you can spend more time in the car, thus sitting in the traffic is not that bad and more people are willing to do that -> more congestion.
      - arbie 8y ago
        > I take 15 minutes crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers over one hour of solitude in a small metal box with windows any day. I am reasonably sure economics will change that. > Nobody has managed to explain me how self driving cars reduces congestion. It doesn't, but it allows the work day to begin at commute time. Those that don't adapt will simply have fewer "work hours" to make up the lost productivity. I suspect the bumpiness of roads will become a public nuisance once people start reading/computing in-car.
      - Dylan16807 8y ago
        > I take 15 minutes crammed in a small space with a bunch of strangers over one hour of solitude in a small metal box with windows any day. Why those durations? I would expect a typical car trip to be faster than transit, since it takes a direct route with no stops. If transit is even as fast as driving, I'll take it 90% of the time. But that's quite an undertaking.
        rsynnott 8y ago
        In a dense city with a lot of traffic, public transport will often be faster than cars because it has segregated (for trains, metros etc) or semi-segragated (most trams, many bus systems) routes.
        wool_gather 8y ago
        > I would expect a typical car trip to be faster than transit Compared to buses on the same roads (i.e. without a dedicated lane), sure, but not to subways/light rail.
    - conradev 8y ago
      I love "the human element". I might be in the minority here, but I actually like taking public transit to see a city. Meaning not just the geographical features, but also the people in it. I would prefer a bus or train to a private car any day, assuming it's reasonably clean and not overcrowded.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - rsynnott 8y ago
      Possibly not showering is just more socially acceptable in the US or something? I dunno, I see this a lot on these discussions, but it’d be fairly rare that I encounter a notably smelly person on public transport here. Being on a bus/tram/train with strangers never really bothered me, to be honest. When I walk down the street or onto a shop, I’m also surrounded by strangers; what’s the issue?
      - mjcl 8y ago
        My experience (mostly BART & SF Muni Metro) is that “smelly person” is a euphemism for homeless person.

iainmerrick 8y ago

In parts of the UK, seniors get free travel on buses. That’s very popular. Even where it’s not free, buses can be great for older people who aren’t able or confident to drive (due to mobility, eyesight, etc). If your buses aren’t popular with old people, you have bad buses.

wongarsu 8y ago
In Germany, even among elderly that could drive buses are very popular (even though they have to pay). Driving a bus is a lot more social than sitting alone in your car. They meet old friends or they make new ones.

rsynnott 8y ago

In places with decent public transport, why not? In many countries, it’s free for people over whatever age to use public transport, and it’s obviously more practical for many elderly people than driving.