The bus travel nightmare

How often when you took an unfamiliar bus route either in town of out of town, their schedules were often too confusing. I have had many experiences in the past in this matter, and often end in frustration.

I had the pleasure recently took one of the off route bus trip to a small resort town in PA, about an hour and a half away from NYC. The information on the web for public transport is almost non-existed. There are link to the train and bus companies web site, but there were no information to the town, nor there are any indication if there was a stop at all. When I eventually stumble into information I was looking for, there is only information getting out of town, but not getting there, I suppose the town does not want any one visits on the weekend.

The schedule they put out is confusing at best, there were stops printed on the back of the route map but not necessary guarantee the bus will stop. The schedule did not mention the bus would be running on a reduced schedule over the summer weekends. You have to search hard on the brochure for it. Being a resort town I thought they would want more visitors on the weekends.

Granted there were a lot of information to be communicated to their riders, I thought they would want their visitors to know when to get on and off the bus, and on the right time for their return trip, but that obviously was not the intention of their schedule. It was to be put out there, so they can confuse their riders.

While traveling oversea, I often found their public transport schedule are far more user friendly. It is usually very simple and easy to understand, without the requirement of knowing the native language of the country you travel in. It is efficient, and helpful.

Besides the schedule, try asking for information at the bus terminal information desk. You will experience the worst of the system had to offer. Information attendants with ultimate rudeness attitude, as if you were interrupting their peaceful existence when approached, ticket agents does not know the routes of the company they supposedly serving. Am I in New York City? How disappointing. At the least a smoking breathing, cold mannered, coughing ticket attendants is sometime expected in a third world country; the inefficiency of the bus system for the number one global city of the world, is totally unacceptable in my book. I am not sure if I will ride the bus to any small town in the continental USA any time soon.

One very frustrated local rider.

Chance Encounter NYC