07 September, 2015

Public Transportation Vs Private Transportation



Being a travel enthusiastic, i love exploring people and places.
But, at same time, i still haven't sensed the feeling " its about the journey not end". Somehow i have never felt it, i feel dreaded when i have to spend hours to reach some point of interest. I have traveled with friends, family and solo. Company makes it entertaining for a while but then for how long? Don't you feel the pressure of being the entertainer?

Especially if you grew up in india, you would know the phrase "the person next to driver should be awake. Driver needs to be stimulated". Phew! If that funda was actually true, how many of you go and stimulate the pilots, bus drivers, train drivers or even auto wala? We sleep easily while riding on those na?

I would rather be at place and explore than spent hours just to reach a place. I use public transport when i can. My friends were shocked when they discovered i just had 5k miles on my car over one and half year. So, my curious cats asked me why do i need car?

If i could summarize my answer in two lines it would be:
Car takes me to places
Shuttle takes me to people.

Going by shuttle gives me peace of mind, me time per say and some time to get myself prepped for day. It also allows me to observe and meet people, their clothing, their attitude and their zest in little synapses. Its a sense of security that i feel when i step on shuttle. The familiar drivers greeting you and all you do is sit back and relax. I know in 15 mins, i will be at work. You can either sulk in seat or observe the fellow passengers. I do not have to worry about traffic, or curse the fellow on road for moving too fast or too slow, for cutting in line or breaking the cruise control or the bikes passing or the pedestrians taking for ever to move. I love that part of my ride.

The way i see it , you make two kinds of trip:
One is to places
and one is to people.
Your means to reach them governs your experiences.

2 comments:

  1. Much as I love the concept you have talked about, Indian public transport has not evolved to that state yet to allow one to people watch. When it does, I'll be saving a lot of money on fuel :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its a different culture, i agree! However, I do miss the antakshari and witnessing cat-fights in ladies compartment of mumbai local trains.

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