DOOR-TO-DOOR FOR FIVE BUCKS MORE
Normally I’m a very calm-spirited person. My usually mellow demeanor rarely ever gets rocked (except on the days at the office on which I want to, quite literally, rip my hair out) because I seem to have an uncanny knack for letting things roll off my back. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to truly not sweat the small stuff and, more importantly, I’ve learned how to pick my battles. There is one instance, however, that causes my impatience to rear its not-so-pretty head: getting from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ in downtown Vancouver.
Photo: dejahthoris on Flickr
I love to walk and normally would do so, but at nighttime, that’s a different story. Last night I waited for the #6 Downtown bus to haul me over to Gastown. According to Translink’s website, the #6 should ideally come by at regular intervals, sometimes only four minutes apart. The trip from Davie and Bute to Cordova and Seymour is scheduled to take 15 minutes in the early evening. The trip took me 45 minutes. By the time I arrived at my transfer point to take me down Cordova street, I was frustratedly drumming my fingertips, only to see two middle-aged men imitating me. If looks could kill, the glare I shot them surely would’ve knocked them down dead in a nanosecond.
For those of you who live in the West End, you have probably noticed the gaggles of bus drivers who pull their buses to the curb, shut off their engines and “shoot the shit” with other drivers at English Bay. Want to know a little known fact? They aren’t allowed to do this! I questioned someone I know who’s rather high up with our local transit authority and he confirmed this; unfortunately, there’s really not much the company can do to stop their drivers from slacking off. This probably explains why your bus and my bus always comes late.
Photo: fnord prefect on Flickr
Fortunately for me, hybrid taxis are most definitely an option. The truth is, 9 times out of 10, I grab a cab. Once in a while I decide to take a chance on the bus system, only to always end up disappointed. And when you look at constantly rising transit costs, when the cross-town trip costs me $2.50 on a bus or $7.50 in cab fare, the extra five bucks is worth the half hour in travel time saved.
Now that I’ve ended my rant, you tell me: what’s your preferred method of transport downtown?
|
6 Comments
|
Within the city, if I can’t walk, I almost always cab it too. Even though I have a car, I find parking in the city often ends up being more expensive than the cab ride to get where I’m going (not to mention the gas!) The bus system never seems to be reliable for me-the buses are rarely there when they’re supposed to be and I find the whole trip ends up being more trouble than it’s worth.
well i am closer to the East in TO, and although the subway is fine, i like the streetcar, you feel less like a rat
cabs are good too, and often no more than 5 bucks more expensive
TO is great to get around in … to a point
When I lived in the West End I rarely took transit as I found it faster to walk. Cabs come in handy when it’s raining. If given the choice, I will walk just about anywhere, as my legs are the most reliable transit available.
I was last in Toronto a couple of years ago and found that if you’re working in a time frame the only real way to traverse the city is in a cab. It is so worth the extra money and it’s a shit load more comfortable.
Dan
Whenever I head into downtown Montreal, I usually take the metro in. It’s usually fairly reliable and timely. Once downtown, most anywhere I need to go to is within walking distance. I usually try to avoid taking my car into downtown. If I happen to miss the last metro of the evening, then it’s not too difficult to catch a cab. There are night buses that run overnight, but I don’t know what routes they take. :p
Unfortunately, there is no real public transit in Dallas/Fort Worth. What little there is, as a rule is a bit of a joke.
Arlington, which lies halfway between FW and Dallas, is one of the largest cities over 100,000 people that has NO public transit whatsoever. Given the fact that it contains several large malls, The Ballpark at Arlington (baseball), Six Flags Over Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington and will soon have the new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys, I now avoid the area like the plague as it’s quickly becoming a clusterfuck situation.
Quite literally, the only way to get around D/FW is by car.