I hate the bus
As a recovering starving student/ newly starving worker, I’ve learned a few tricks on how to be thrifty. I now understand the value of buying the cheaper brand laundry detergent and trying to only buy new clothes if they have a sale tag on them. However, there are some things in life that are just worth paying the extra buck, such as toilet paper and the train.
I’m writing this as I sit on the bus, remembering all the reasons why I vowed to never ride on one again. For starters, I can’t even tilt my monitor to see my screen properly because the seat ahead of me is stopping it. So I’m trying to type with the keyboard at my naval, which would be perfect if I was a T-Rex. But desperate times call for desperate measures and because I am barely making rent, I decided to take the cheaper mode of transit.
As soon as I board, a plethora of bad memories flood into my mind. First, the crowdedness. I’m not claustrophobic but I begin to understand why people are. And the décor of the bus certainly doesn’t help. A swirl of bright orange, blue, and green carpet hugs the seats, the upper compartments, and the ceiling. It looks as though a peacock threw-up all over the bus and we are surrounded by the distasteful vomit.
The first few seats are occupied so I try to make it mid-way through the bus, bumping all the seated people with my bags along the way. I apologize to the person on my right as I bump the person’s head to my left. I’m not sure how somebody of a larger mass can even make it through the aisles without hitting everyone with their hips. I sit down at the first available seat, try to put my luggage in the compartment ahead of me, and notice that a line is forming behind me. Trying to hurry, I drop my bag in the lap of the girl beside me and then try to contort my body in a strange way in order to take my coat off. I lean forward just as the man ahead of me decides to recline his seat and hits my head.
At this point I’m probably sounding high maintenance but it truly is bad. And the other people on the bus agree. The pot lights on the entire left side of the bus are not working and the ones on the right are so dim that they probably are causing damage to the reader’s retinas. I even offered to shine my laptop light for a man to read, but the woman beside him uses a lighter that lets off enough light for the two of them.
Another convenience with the train is that it is not dependent on traffic. It has one path with very little getting in the way of it. You are almost always sure to get to where you’re going without worrying about accidents, bad weather, or rush hour. It’s much easier to fall asleep on the train considering that there’s much more leg room and less people being able to see your mouth gaping open. It’s easier to block out the conversations from the people at the back since they’re much further away. It’s also less worrisome to get a seat on the train, since there are many more seats.
Another reason why I hate the bus, and this is a big one, is the snack cart. What luxury it is to have an attendant offer you hot coffee or tea if you’re cold or tired. Or to grab a sandwich if you were in too much of a hurry to eat beforehand. Even better, the choice of being able to purchase a Caesar or glass of wine. Enough said.
And so, for half the price, I feel like I’m a part of a tourist field trip. I’m nearly elbow to elbow with the girl beside me and am already cramping since my knees nearly touch the seat ahead. With all that said, there are some things that are worth splurging on, and taking a more comfortable mode of transit for a two and a half hour travel is one.
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