Why don't people carpool and use public transportation?
 

I've read several threads about high gas prices here on GC and on other boards. Money for parking lots/garages/permits are also big complaints. I'm curious why many people do not take advantage of carpooling or public transportation.

I know some people do not live in big cities, so PT is out the question. And some people live very far from friends and co-workers. But, I know several people who refuse to take the metro-link (subway-like train) downtown even though they live close to a stop. Then there's those who live by people they know, but won't carpool to work or to a baseball game or whatever.

You give up autonomy if you car pool. If you drive yourself and you want to stay late, no problem. But if you car pool, you've got to work it out.

And in some big cities, the PT isn't reliable unless you are willing to leave hours before you need to be at work. Otherwise, you might be really late because the published schedule and the actual schedule don't line up that much.

I think you see an interest in PT and car pooling when the commute takes a long time, HOV lanes give a real advantage, and it's really expensive to park at work. Otherwise, it's worth an increase in cost to maintain your independence.

(I'll admit I have no first hand experience with this; it's what I've observed with others.)

The City and County of Honolulu has one of the best bus systems in the country and for $40/month bus pass (unlimited rides), it's quite the deal, especially since I'm paying $3.40/gallon to fill up my tank every 5 days. Monthly parking at my office is $40/month, but I'm not complaining too much because my downtown colleagues spend anywhere between $100-$200/month for the ONE parking stall.

Still, because work's about 15 minutes away (no traffic), catching the bus would also mean I'd have to leave 30-45 minutes than normal to get to work in the morning and I'd also get home later. Because I tend to stay late at work in addition to meeting friends for dinner/drinks after work, riding the bus at night is not something I'd want to do.

In Columbus, public transport is pretty useless unless you live directly in town or on campus. Living out in the 'burbs sucks for public transport. The buses run at horrible times.

In Pittsburgh, public transport used to be *great*. When I was in high school and had to take Port Authority to get to school, it was pretty good. But then they raised prices and cut services. And then they did it again. And then they did it again. Now it is just so inconvenient, unpleasant and expensive that people don't want to take it, they'd rather drive.

In the UK, public transport is a way of life, and people get CRANKY if things don't work right with it. Gas and cars carry heavy taxes as well, and most employers subsidize/assist with bus passes, so most people do that. I'm really excited to be moving to a town with a pretty great bus system and an underground, and trains, and travel buses (Glasgow to Edinburgh and back for 5 pound!).

I, however, prefer to bike commute. I've been fortunate to have employers that have showers/lockers and are willing to let me do that. Exercise, commute, and save some $$. I just wish people respected the bike more.

The only place I've lived with half decent public transport was St. Louis, and the metrolink there was really not useful. The stops were generally in bad neighborhoods and never actually went from those neighborhoods to places where people would work. Downtown is alright, but if you didn't need to go there, you didn't need to take the metro. They're getting a bit better, but not enough.

In DC, the WMATA Metro system seems to be pretty reliable and safe. My D took it during rush hour times from suburbia to downtown DC when she interned starting at age 16 and we never felt cause for alarm. GEN Alum uses it for the Pentagon commute.

In addition to Metro, VRE, Maryland rail, there are HOV lanes and the resultant slugging behavior. http://www.slug-lines.com/

I have lived in Florida almost my entire life, and I can tell you from personal experince that the public transporation systems in most of the state aren't that great. Mainly because there is not a huge urban hub like there would be in a major city. So for the most part PT is not worth it in much of the state. I am not sure about Miami's system though...

I don't think most parts of the country are well-equipped for public transit. If it exists, it's either unreliable, unsafe, or inconvenient. Sometimes, PT isn't very convenient if you don't live right in the center of the city. Not every subway or bus system runs 24 hours a day.

Plus, having your own car--whether it's going to work or going to dinner with friends--gives you a little bit more freedom or autonomy.

I am all about taking the subway, since gas is stupid expensive now and parking is a snitch in this town, but I live in one of the maybe 10 American metro areas where you can get away with not owning a car.

I have thought about car pooling with a 25 mile each way commute to work. There are a few women in my department who live within a couple miles of me. The problem becomes this: I have two school age kids. It does happen that, several times a year, I get a call from the school saying that I need to pick one of them up due to illness. If I carpooled, what would happen? If I drove, either my coworker would have to leave with me or she'd be stuck there. If my coworker drove, then how would I leave to get my kid? If I could figure this one out, I would definitely carpool. I did carpool with someone once , before I had kids, and I enjoyed it. I liked having someone to chit chat with on the way to work. It made the drive go by faster. I felt safer going through some scary neighborhoods. And, we both saved money. It was nice. If we had decent public transportation (trains or subways), I would take those. I think Detroit will be the last major city to ever adopt a mass transit system because, after all, we are the Motor City.

at first, i was like, "you really dont want to take PT - you will be miserable and become bitter towards everyone."

while riding the NYC PT should be an Olympic sport (hustling for a seat, mapping out your trip, the stopping and going, etc), i realize that it is a freaking godsend. i REALLY hate it when i go out of town and i have to depend on getting a ride from whoever i'm staying with. and while i enjoy the comfort of the backseat of a lincoln towncar, it gets pricey and i get all antsy.

the bus and train is still a form of dependency, but anywhere i need to get to i can get there. and its pretty awesome when youre buzzed or way over the BAC to get behind the wheel.

i mean gas + tolls (as high as $9/bridge) + insurance + car note + added worries of theft, vandalism, accidents versus $2 and the patience to wait it out sometimes in sometimes grungy stations... you be the judge.


then again i dont have a family of my own, or any dependents.

I don't because my job takes me all over the county I live in, and it doesn't make sense to do it. :(

I'm in a county right outside of DC, and use public transportation a couple of times a month - whenever I have meetings or conferences in DC. My apartment complex teamed up with a few others, and does a free shuttle to the metro in the mornings, and then I can take the metro into the city...I love being able to relax and read the paper.

But for the rest of the time, I drive. There isn't a metro within a few miles of my office, and my commute time would double. As for riding with a friend, I can work five hours one day and twelve the next...I just can't plan ahead for my workload, so it wouldn't be fair to someone else.

I use pt everyday since I'm not riding my motorcycle everyday. In the San Francisco bay area, you can get around 24-7. I've carpooled into the city when I was staying in the East bay. We have Vanpool and Casual carpool. For pt there's:

• BART -- subway that goes between counties of San Francisco, Alemeda, Contra Costa, San Mateo
• Muni -- buses, trolly cars, Metro trains and cable cars. In San Francisco only
• SamTrans -- SanMateo County Transit. Buses only
• Caltrain -- Comuter train that runs from San Francisco to Santa Clara County
• Amtrack -- all over the US. Best way to commute from Sacramento into the bay.
• AC Transit -- Alemeda County transit
• Golden Gate Transit-- from Marin and Sonoma counties--busses and ferries
• Bay Link Ferry
• Blue and Gold (mostly tourists) Ferry
• Red and White Ferry
  City Car share--A car sharing service where you pay only for the gas.

There are more but I think you guys get the idea. You really dont need a car here but it can be helpful.

I would love to carpool- in fact my next-door neighbor works a building away from me-however I have to be at work by 8am and he doesn't usually even wake up until 8am. So we have carpooled when the weather is bad (he has a 4wheel drive) but other than that, no. Plus I have to pick up my kids from daycare, so I either have to be the driver or the driver has to be willing to stop to get my kids AND have car seats.

I take the bus around my hometown to get to work and such, but it's only because at 23 yrs. old I still can't drive. The times are sometimes inconvienent, but my bosses have been willing to work around it. I also have the "luck" of a bus from my rural school into the nearest port of civilization, but I don't know anyone who really uses it due to a lot of robberies/stabbings/etc that happen on that route.