By: Porscha Outlaw

Jennifer rushes to the bus stop — late once again– after having to drop  her sister off at  school because  her mom couldn’t. She knows she has 3 blocks to get to the bus stop, but the bus is supposed to arrive in 2 minutes.

Deep down she believes she can make it on time traffic is heavy and the bus might take a little longer. A few seconds later, her hope is squashed when she  reaches the bus stop, and the driver makes eye contact with her but, drives away.

Still hoping to arrive to school on time, she begins her 10 minute walk to the train station near her house. It seems as if the gods were against her as she finds out that the train doesn’t arrive  for another 23 minutes. Unfortunately, it’s already 7:44 and she will be late for school. With a heavy heart, Jennifer sits down to wait for the train, knowing she will have lunch give back, again.

Public transportation is convenient for many people who do not have access to a car or any other means of transportation. Like students who need to get to school, who  most likely take the bus or the train. But for students, taking the bus or train is more and more challenging.

I, for one, hate taking the bus. It is agitating, time consuming, and out right gross.

First off, many people that take the bus seem to forget their manners. For one, everyone knows that when the doors open up, You’re supposed to wait until people get  out and then get on. We all know it gets crowded so letting people off, will give more space for everyone. The words “excuse me” do exist. I understand that people  have somewhere to get, or that they might have slipped, have on a backpack, or whatever the case may be, but when you hit someone or step on them, say sorry.

Secondly, taking the bus kills a lot of time. You can live so close to where you are trying to get, and still  take up to an hour to get a few blocks away. This is mostly because buses have 20 minute gaps in between each other. So if you miss one bus, you might be standing at a bus stop for another 20 minutes for another one. Then, if you have to take another bus, you could miss that one, and have to wait even more. The same thing happens with the train, despite the fact that it does not have to sit in traffic. There are times where the train is delayed, so you have to wait even longer than originally.

Public transportation is gross. I’ve seen people change diapers, spit food out or gum, kids wipe boogers on the window or seat, people spill things on the seat or floor, and sneeze or cough with out covering their mouths. Worst of all, there are people who do drugs or drink alcohol on the bus, and it is not a place to see these kind of things. Then, there are people that stink, and do not try to hide it at the expense of others’ noses . There is so much that goes unseen on trains and buses and some I wish I did not see.

All in all, the bus, the train, or any other means of public transformation is not what you would usually expect. But as much as I hate the bus, I take it everyday because it is my only means of transportation to school.