COMMENT BY
Nate from Columbus, OH
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Columbus, OH
COMMENT
Lack of good mass transit in the Columbus, Ohio ar
The public transportation system in the Columbus, Ohio area, does not compare with the mass transit systems in other cities. For years, it used antiquated buses, which were not on a par with buses in other cities. For example, the New York City Transit Authority had buses, whereby the passengers could exit via the rear door, by opening the door after the bus stopped. For years, the Columbus buses lacked that device, and passengers had to depend on the whim of the drivers to let us off. I tried to tell one nasty driver that he couldn't see the passengers at the rear, if the bus was crowded. He became incensed and started becoming belligerent and pointing his finger in my face. Those devices were finally installed, after many years. Unfortunately, the cushioned seats which were once prevalent were replaced with plexiglass seats, which are very uncomfortable. Also, those seats really are not wide enough to comfortably seat two passengers. In addition, the buses are rarely cleaned, and they smell badly. The drivers run those buses at a snail's pace. One time, I actually observed a driver reading a booklet, while driving his bus, on a major thoroughfare. Another time, a driver actually had the gall to ask some foreign born passengers to move to the rear of the bus, as he didn't like to hear them speaking in Russian. There was a strike which lasted nearly a month. After the strike was over, the drivers gained very little, and still had the same bad attitudes and chips on their shoulders, once the strike was concluded. Last, it isn't always safe to go on the buses, as there have been instances of gangs perpetrating assaults on the buses, and gunfire being directed at the buses. The alternative is driving; however, I try to stay off the roadways during rush hour. The reason that there is so much vehicular traffic on the streets and the roads, is because the mass transit system, as outlined above, is not that great. When driving, one has to deal with Columbus drivers who love to tailgait, even at a high rate of speed; they also love to pass cars in front of them, with only inches to spare. There have been instances where drivers who have been going very slow in the right lane, will intentionally speed up, to prevent a motorist in the left lane from passing them. Other specialties of Columbus motorists include going through stop signs, red lights, driving cars with defective mufflers, inoperable brake lights and head lights, cracked windshields, wheels which are out of balance, failure to yield the right of way, racing down residential streets, at a speed way over the speed limit, playing loud boom box music from their cars, and throwing cigarettes and other debris out of their cars. Outside of the above, transportation in the Columbus, Ohio area, is an absolute delight!