How is public transport where you are?

[kmeyrick]

How is public transport where you are? Is there enough of it for your day to day needs? Is it affordable? Does it save you money in gas?

Our train station is VERY expensive! It doesn't really save in gas at all.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

There is no public transport where I live however I can walk most places I need to be.

[WC_hapamama]

It's good, but not perfect. The closest bus stop to the elementary school is a mile away, and the remaining walk is up a 2 lane, hilly road with no sidewalks.

[shayinme]

Compared to where I used to live (Chicago) public transit here (Maine) is not too good. Bus to go around town runs every hour and is $1.25 per ride. To get to the city, depending on which bus you use its $3 or $5 and more importantly its very inconvenient time-wise. I am talking 1 bus runs every 3 hours, the other bus only runs during the morning and afternoon commute.

That said I do use it but not very often, again its more a matter of not being convenient. Same trip on the bus that takes over an hour 1 way is 20 mins in the car, so even being a 1 car family its easier to juggle schedules and use the bus. Which is sad because I really don't mind public transit, heck I didn't even learn to drive until I moved here because in Chicago I didn't need a car.

Shay

[kmeyrick]

See, that's something I've been thinking about. If we really want to reduce cars on the road, we need a convenient public transport system that is affordable enough that it's saving people money not to drive. It should be friendlier to people with disabilities, too.

[asianyoushi]

portland oregon has a "good" system i think --trimet they are expanding the max line to connect more of the metro area. so once thats done it should be really well if they get the crime taken care of.... there has been lots of beatings and muggings and such on the max and bus lines. fares depend on age and such... but for a adult its 2.05 which is good for 2 hours..

[nolansmummy]

We have a good bussing system here. Its a college town, so we have all the campus busses that go all around town, we also have city transit busses. Everything is pretty close together too, so if it was absolutely necessary i could walk most places. The campus busses cost money if you are a student, but there are a few routes that are free. I don't know how much the city busses cost.

[DaMajha]

There is no real public transportation here, just a handful of family owned taxis.

[mamamilkers]

Ours is decent. After lots of back and forth they finally decided not to build the light rail through the city. Grumble. But the busses are okay. My DF commutes from one side of Seattle all the way across the lake in to the suburbs for work every day. He saves a ton of money using the bus and it really helps his employer provides him with a bus pass for free!

[skai]

I live in the Netherlands. The public transportation is excellent. The trains are frequent, affordable and go round the clock. There are also trams and buses, and bicycles can be rented from many places for shorter distances, although most people have their own bikes. Our city center is mostly out of limits for cars, and when you go for a walk, instead of cars, you hear the people chatting and the sound of their shoes hitting the pavement. It's very nice.

Before this city, we lived in a city in Finland, where the public transportation was also very good, although not as cheap as here. We've actually never owned a car, and neither have my parents. It's just not necessary.

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by kmeyrick

How is public transport where you are? Is there enough of it for your day to day needs? Is it affordable? Does it save you money in gas?

Non existent.
We'd need to drive/bike at least a mile to the nearest mini-bus stop. And even then the bus only goes to Walmart, Albertson's, the casino, etc. Not exactly places I frequent with 2.5 kiddos that often. Plus then I'd lose all my time getting to the stops and and waiting for the bus and calming down fussy kids and so on. So it's just not feasible for us right now. Maybe for the boys as they get older and want to get around the area on their own, but not right now. I'd rather garden and at least attempt to keep the house clean.

[yeahwhat]

Not too bad. The individual ticket price is $2.55 for an adult, but for about $6 you can get an all day pass and ride as much as you want. On weekends, 2 adults can ride on a one day pass. There are to several different bus stops (for different lines) within 5 minutes of my house; the closest is 6 or so houses up the street on the corner.

[Equuskia]

Practically nonexistant. THere are no buses in the city where I live. There are only taxis and "share-a-ride" cars. I wouldn't be able to use public transportation at all for work anyways, because I make 6-8 different stops a day, and there is no way I could do it on public transportation.

[elisent]

There are lots of bus routes here (one a half block from me).

I want so badly to go green and ride the bus more but I just can't afford it. Everywhere we go is within 3 miles of the house. Bus fare for the kids and I would be $6/trip. Gas for the same trip would be about $1.25.

Even for just me it is $2 round way. Way too expensive if you ask me, especially considering it takes an hour to get anywhere because all routes connect through the main bus station downtown.

[Vanessa]

Virtually non-existent. Also, the things that are within long walking distance (3miles) would be really unsafe to walk to because of the set-up of the area.

[Ruthiegirl]

Nonexistent.

[Free Thinker]

There is no public transportation where I live.

[superstella]

Another one for no public transportation here.

[springbabes]

We live about a mile from the bus line but I've never ridden it:. We have taken the light rail into Salt Lake a few times, though the station is a 15 minute drive from my house so It's not really practical. We are supposed to have a light rail stop in our town by 2011 so I might actually use it then. I find trains more relaxing than rush hour traffic.

Cost is a big deterrent for me though. 2 hour bus/light rail passes are $2 and all day passes are $4. Children under the age of 5 are free, but everyone else pays full price. So for my family it would cost $16 a day and next year when my son turns 6 it will be $20! Gas would have to be mighty expensive for it to be worth it.

[PenelopeJune]

No public transport here, either. Not a train, bus, taxi, or anything else.

It's sad really. We have no fewer than 20 trains roar through our town each day, without even stopping. If they could just tack a passenger car or two on the back, we could go into the neaby towns. It would be so neat!