The baltimore bus system sucks. I am not a bus snob. I used to take the bus round Edinburgh and Glasgow. The rest of the time I biked.
What do I expect from a bus service.
1) Buses should be on time or be slightly late never early.
2) Timetables should be meaningful.
3) The drivers should be professional
I don’t think this is much to expect.
Last week the bus ran 30 minutes late, it was so late the next bus was right behind it. this morning bus driver kept reading his paper at the lights, at one point I told him he had a green light so he wouldn’t miss the signal.
The time maps are useless. The one I have used has 4 points listed for a 1 hour trip. So you have about 15 minutes between each stop that is listed. Thats al long time to wait if it is cold.
I think I have managed to catch the number 7 bus on the way home once. The time table at the bus stop said 6:01 pm. I was there at 5:58 and ended up taking a number 10 at 6:10. I think the bus goes past that stop at about 5-10 minutes before the time listed at the bus stop.
The driver pulls away from the stop before you have paid so you are standing in the “no standing zone” as they pull away.
The driver I got home tonight was so hard on the brakes I slid off my seat. I wasn’t sure he was going to stop when someone rang the bell.
You know, people always tell me that Baltimore has some of the best bus systems around, and I guess by looking at a map that’s correct. But I tried taking the bus to get around when I was in college and didn’t have any other way to be mobile and after a few tries I gave up. You’re right: they’re late, they’re stinky, the drivers can’t drive, and they don’t follow any of their posted rules. I also lost count of the number of times I stood at a stop waiting for the bus that was running late, only to have it drive right by me because, well, I guess I don’t look stop-worthy.