[Sparklechick]

Now that we have moved suburbs I have started taking the bus to work.

Yesterday, I caught the wrong bus ...

Me: "Symonds St please"
Driver: takes money
Me: walks down aisle
Driver: "we don't go to Symonds St"
Me: "where do you go?"
Driver: "Queen St and K Rd"
Me: "K Rd will be fine thanks"

10 minutes later I dinged the bell ... the driver stops the bus halfway down Upper Queen St! So much for stopping at K Rd. I ended up walking up a steep hill and it took about 15 minutes to walk to work.

Grrrr

So this morning I decided to take a different bus. There is actually a bus stop pretty much right outside our place but the buses are less frequent so I walk up the road and round the corner to catch the other buses. As I'm standing in the freezing cold (yup it was cold this morning and I didn't take a jacket) I see the bus that stops right outside my place turn the corner. ARGH! It was earlier than it says it's supposed to be. DARN IT.

I see the 211 bus, YAY, thinks me .... I wave my arm, the lady next to me waves her arm. The driver goes straight past without even slowing down. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. I didn't realise Stagecoach hired blind drivers nowadays, they really must be desperate.

15 minutes later another bus comes along and it's also the right one. I'm not one of these rude people who sit on the aisle side so my bag can have a window seat, I take the window seat and put my bag on my lap. Unfortunately for me, I now know the reason why people do that, possibly one of the smelliest people in the universe decided to sit next to me. I was almost gagging and jumped off the bus one stop early.

I haven't taken public transport for a while and had actually forgotten how frustrating and sometimes revolting it can be.

I am now thinking that a 45 minute walk to work might be a much better option than attempting to take the bus again.

[Penny]

Awww Sparkly Chick... It just outlines how awful the Auckland Public Transport system is. I have only ever had bad luck when I have tried to get buses etc to work. So thats half the reason I got my drivers license. I never had it in Wellington. Never needed it. Buses were mostly on their scheduled times (not nessecarily when I wanted them but nothing wrong with a short wait) and trains were awesome, they go everywhere to. But then again you can catch the bus from one side of Wellington to the other without having to change buses and it takes just 3/4 hour. Not like the 3 hours it did once.

You'll find the bus that works best for you and then it'll just become routine.

The problem with the smelliest person sitting by you is something that happens everywhere.

[nih]

45 minutes is a pretty easy walk. You'd be getting double the basic minimum in exercise you need if you walked to work and then home again.