>I think many of us fail to appreciate that older people and women often feel unsafe — or at least uncomfortable — on public transit. Increased law enforcement

>I think many of us fail to appreciate that older people and women often feel unsafe — or at least uncomfortable — on public transit. Increased law enforcement presence and enforcement of decent behavior would do a lot to make people love the bus. That may be true for the US, but interestingly in Spain (and I daresay in most of Europe) the opposite is true: the prototypical users of public buses are older people, and particularly older women. They generally don't use or don't need a car, are not in enough of a hurry to use the Metro, and want to avoid the latter's long stairways and escalators. Maybe the solution for women and older people in the US to start using the bus more needs to start with stricter law enforcement and presence, but I can't say it is a factor in Spain. Law enforcement and security guards are very rarely seen in buses, though their overall heavy usage and the fact that most of the city has a high density of foot traffic anyway is probably enough to discourage feelings of unsafety.