The Bus

November 5, 2021.

5.15 pm

We were supposed to leave by 4 today. But we were running off schedule. For about half an hour Mom was tossing down the clothes and essentials we needed for our trip.

It's 6.47, and we finally left our house. On the way to the bus stop, which is quite close to my regular metro station, everyone was too close to each other. I mean it. Yeah of course adding the social distance of about meters radii each. I was too ahead of the crowd, even though I was carrying a heavy back.

I don't know when we reached the stop but the worst part about all this is standing there waiting for the right bus to arrive. I'll say those were some longest minutes of my trip.

Luckily, at 7.27 the bus arrived we hopped on and got settled in our seats. I was writing this part. If you wonder why am I being too accurate about time well it's because I just got a new watch. And I just can miss an opportunity to look at the time.

So far the trip is on my usual route, Asalpha to Andheri route, under the metro. Sadly I missed McDonald's. I was writing though. 

I don't prefer any Bus but a USB. I know nerdy fact, Google the reference you'll get it.

Road trips are fun but if you'd say I have to take a bus somewhere, I won't. Sure it's cheaper than the metro but I'm concerned about the time I can save and also save myself from the hassle of finding the right bus it's a whole new issue.

9.15

Well, we switched buses and something happened. A fellow passenger accidentally dropped his phone out of the window. He gave a red alert and went looking for his phone. That's not extraordinary but the fact that the bus driver decided to stay for about 10 minutes for him, was an act of kindness.

Finally, we reached Granny's by 10.33

Well, this whole trip took about 3 to 4 hours. Sure a bus trip is interesting but, was it convenient?

Hell no! It's great for small trips but traveling this massive distance. No way. It's mostly because of the complicated system of buses and their routes. If one option isn't available you're stuck in a deadlock.

In conclusion, I will never get on the bus until someone knows where we are going and how. As long as there's no complexity I'll board. But if there's an easy alternative I'll pick that.

As a daily metro user, I can say sure it's not cheap, but is it cost-effective? Yes, it is. Time is money. It doesn't mean you save money when you save time. To save time you might have to spend a little extra. On a Metro, I don't have to think about the traffic below me nor have to wait for a long time just for the right bus. In junior college, my friend used to take a bus home. We had to wait for his bus. Buses would pass by but the right bus would take a long time to show up. As he boarded I walked up the stairs to the metro platform and there it was a metro after equal intervals.

For him, the metro isn't of any use. For someone who's used to the train or any particular sort of travel, the other mode often needs to be updated.