Gordaen's Blog

Public transportation could be really great, in fact, it should be. The problem with public transportation in America is that we are individuals, and we value that so much that we are willing to let a group (that we fall in) suffer in order to retain that sense of independence.

Your first car is a status symbol and a marker showing that you are heading toward being completely self-reliant. Cars mean a lot in the U.S. and that’s why so many people are unwilling to give them up. Unfortunately, that means many people ignore the true cost of driving and head straight toward the biggest vehicle they can afford. Never mind that it is terrible for the environment. Never mind that it is less fuel-efficient than many vehicles were 30 years ago. Never mind that it isn’t practical. And sure-as-hell never mind that you are more likely to kill another driver when driving a larger vehicle. Besides, that person didn’t spend an extra $10,000 to look more important.

People are so focused on their sense of individualism that they don’t see the big picture. They want to be somewhere and they want to be there now! That means hopping in a vehicle and heading that way, not waiting five minutes for a bus. Unfortunately, that means there are a lot more people on the roads, creating worse traffic conditions and ultimately slowing everyone down. Consider that a 40′ bus can generally hold around 50 people (and often many more). Since the Cadillac Escalade site is terrible, I decided to go with the Ford Explorer (Exploder) as a comparison. The Exploder is approximately 16′ long and can carry a maximum of seven passengers. That means if you fit them bumper to bumper for the length of the bus, they could carry about 17 people and that’s assuming that the drivers need absolutely no space between vehicles when driving. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t think busses are the best answer to public transportation, just the easiest comparison.

All that being said, I should finally proceed to the real reason that people don’t like public transportation: people. That’s right, people don’t like to ride the bus because that puts them right next to a drunk, homeless man who rambles the entire time or next to a person for whom hygiene-challenged would be an understatement. It not only makes you feel less classy because you aren’t pimpin’ your SUV, but you’re being bombarded by stench and slurs.

Until our country can come up with a way to clean these people, large-scale public transportation just isn’t going to happen. Fortunately, our hard-working government is already taking care of this. The thought is that by letting companies pollute huge amounts we will create more acid rain, which will eventually be strong enough and continuous enough to ensure we never smell these people again! Melt the dirt (and faces) away! It will be like bleach from the heavens and proof that God wants us to be clean.