I love the Metro, but there are a few routes that are trouble. The 358, that goes up Aurora Ave N. and through some of the worst parts of Downtown is one of those routes. So don’t think of the following exchange as typical, or anything:
Homeless person #1: “I’m getting off at the next stop, do you have a light I could borrow?”
Homeless person #2: “Sure here.”
Homeless person #1: “Oh a Bic. They’re pretty good. Last a long time.”
Homeless person #2: “Yeah. Well no. Not if you smoke crack anyway.”
Now you know why it’s so hard to get suburbanites out of their cars. Who the hell wants to share a seat with those people?
Carl: That is pretty tame for the notorious 358.
You apparently have missed many of the fights that happen on this bus, along with paramedicas having to be called.
You may have missed the she/male bus driver that hated driving buses and used to hit the accelerator hard when you were walking to a seat causing you to have to grab the bus pole to avoid falling. Well guess what? She/he pulled that one day on an elderly passenger and the eldery man fell and paramedics had to be called.
You may have missed all the drunks, some mean, many not, some who start arguments while other drunks just sing, joke, cajole, all while they smell of stale beer and tobacco.
That is why I stopped using public transit.
There were other buses that could have been taken which would have involvedtwo buses and transfers. Very inconvenient. So…public transit? Not for everyone. At least no ride free zone for the 358. That might solve the ride free non-paying “commuters”.
Now Roger DOPEY Rabbit, those people are as “human” as you are! And I doubt very much suburbanites will be on the 358. Shoreline People are suburban “Seattleites”.
The commentary I hear on buses is generally worth the price of the ride. Mixing with humankind, in all its elements, makes a guy a better guy. And, it just might give you a few interesting tales to tell.
@1
Unfortunately too many people who aren’t regular transit riders make the assumption Roger does about Metro. Which is to assume every route is like the 358 or the 7.
They aren’t. There are plenty of routes where you will never have to deal with a crazy person or sit next to someone who smells bad.
If you aren’t a regular transit rider consider taking the time to see if transit would work for your commute. Consider taking transit instead of driving to the ball game or the next event you attend at the Seattle Center. Consider transit the next time you have an errand downtown. Consider taking transit the next time you go out for a night on the town.
Sure, transit doesn’t work for everyone for every trip. But that doesn’t mean it can’t work for some people for some trips. Sure if you take the bus to Belltown to go drinking you will likely have to take a cab home. But if you’ve been out drinking you shouldn’t be driving and a cab ride is a heck of a lot cheaper than a DUI ticket.
For some strange reason when alternatives to driving alone such as carpooling, taking transit, biking, or even walking are presented many feel the need to describe all of the possible situations where the alternative won’t work for them or for some hypothetical person.
All we’re asking is that you consider an alternative to driving for some of your trips. Maybe walk to the corner store or park rather than driving. Maybe ride a bike to the gym rather than driving. Maybe carpool a couple of days a week rather than driving alone to work. Maybe take the bus to a concert rather than driving downtown.