publikk tranzzit

Yikes....I took the #32 Eglinton West bus home tonight. It wasn't a particularly hot evening but the bus was stuffy and stinky. Wads of gum, wrappers, discarded papers everywhere. Not crowded but full enough to feel uncomfortable. Total avoidance of eye contact by absolutely everybody. On my right, a young woman with a silly smile plastered on her face commenced eating a foul smelling egg sandwich as soon as we jerked out of the station. On my left a lanky, tall dude with a white bandana on his head began pawing and licking his bespactacled girlfriend. Didn't stop for the whole ten minute duration of the ride. Across the isle from me, a fairly chunky chick, dirty feet in flip-flops, stared at a book (didn't turn the page once) And so on...everybody on the bus either totally exhausted looking, or dirty, or weird or a combination of all three. The bus itself was a rickety, noisy old specimen from the 70's, farting black smoke all over Eglinton Avenue.

I don't like public transit anywhere but if this is a sample of what PT is like in T.O., it was a real eye opener. When I came to Canada, one of the very first things I did was buy a car. Not much of a car but it got me around and afforded me a sense of freedom that was priceless. I still feel the same way about my car today - even with gas at $1.00 a litre. I would gladly pay $2.00 a litre to stay away from public transit in this city. Anyone can buy a beater for about a grand. Add another grand for insurance and another grand for gas - if the car lasts only a year, you're looking at about 3 grand (no reason why it couldn't last two years, though - plus, it's possible to spend way less than a hundred a month on gas if you don't need to cover the distances that I do) A metropass (a pass that will get you around the system) costs $1,200 a year. Without a metropass, you're looking at much more if you use transit every day! Subtract that from the three grand and the total cost of freedom is $1,800. Plus no waiting for a bus in minus twenty weather and inhaling people's sniffles on stuffy, nauseating subway cars and antiquated buses. I mean - that alone is worth the eighteen bills, wouldn't you agree?

Coincidentally - my hunch is that both our esteemed mayor and the Dear Leader of the NDP transport their do-gooder, socialist butts in air conditioned cars.

P.S.
oops, I could be wrong there....the Mayor's website rhapsodises about him being a champion of public transit