Hot take: I actually think public transit is way better than driving in most cities, not worse

Ngl, I used to be all about my car until I moved to Seattle for 6 months last year. Everyone complains about the bus and light rail here, but I timed it and my commute from Capitol Hill to downtown was 12 minutes by train versus 35 minutes driving and paying $20 for parking. People keep saying transit is unreliable, but I had 3 breakdowns in my car over that same period and zero issues with the train. Has anyone else actually compared their door to door times and come out preferring the bus or rail?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_martin5d ago

Think you're cherry picking a golden route though. Most people don't live on Capitol Hill and work downtown. I took the bus from my place in the suburbs to a job in the city center and it was 45 minutes each way, plus a 10 minute walk from the stop. Driving was 25 minutes with traffic. And when the bus was late 3 times in a month or the route got cancelled for a "schedule adjustment," I was stuck waiting in the cold. Cars have breakdowns, sure, but at least I can control when I leave and have a backup plan with a friend or rental. Transit works great for a specific corridor but not for everyone's actual, messy daily life.

thomasgonzalez5d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you timed it at 12 minutes? That's insane, I'm shook.

fionafoster5d agoMost Upvoted

Did you ever test it yourself or just take his word for it? @thomasgonzalez I had a similar thing happen with a different route once. My buddy swore it was 8 minutes but when I actually timed it from my driveway it was closer to 15. People just guess these times without actually checking. Feel like we all round down to make ourselves feel faster.