by Matt Bird

Created on: June 11, 2010

Public transit, whether it's a street car, a subway or a bus, is a godsend. Eschewing the more traditional form of getting from one place to another, driving one's self, transit systems help connect cities and towns in an altogether superior way to a place that offers roads, roads and more roads - and nothing else.

Why? Well, first, it's convenient. Not everyone can drive, and if they can't drive they can't get where they're going all the time. Let's say you need to get to work each day, and you work, oh, an hour's drive away from your house. What happens if you're such a bad driver that you're not allowed on the road? Or you have a phobia of driving and can't do it? Or simply don't want a license? At any rate you'll be in trouble for your job if public transit isn't around to save your hide.

Some may argue that using transit to get to work is too unpredictable. You can never tell when the bus or train is going to be late, and when it is you're in trouble no matter your excuse. Well, isn't a car just as unpredictable? One can break down at any time, and when it does most people don't have the slightest clue how to fix it. At least when a bus breaks down it'll soon be repaired by professionals and another one will shortly be along to pick up the passengers. Besides, a good transit system runs on a fixed schedule, and even if the buses don't come exactly when they're supposed, to, they WILL show up within five, maybe ten minutes of the listed time. Just learn to leave early.

And, no matter where you're going, public transit is cheap. Dirt cheap, if you decide to get a monthly pass to shuttle you all over the place. It's a lot less expensive than driving a car, and depending on where you live and your situation (say, as a student) these passes may be tax deductible. Your car probably can't afford you the same advantage, and will suck gas and repair money out of your pocket like no one's business.

And the best part about public transportation? In the long run? It cuts down on cars on the road. Every person that's in a train ISN'T in a gas-guzzling monster of a Hummer, and as such they're doing their part to help the environment, whether they know it or not. It's not a lot, true, but every little bit helps in the long run.

Put the keys down and pick up some change instead. Public transit is a good thing. And the sooner people realize its advantages, the sooner we can further expand transit services and make the world more and more convenient.

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