An Ode to Public Transit

If you hadn't noticed, mode choice became the site of protest this week when the #DeleteUber campaign responded to last weekend's taxi strike. In response to the newly Uber-less, some are advocating less use of transportation network companies (TNCs) and more use of good, old-fashioned transit.

If you're looking for some inspiration to see the benefits of riding the bus, Eric Heiman has written just such an ode, celebrating the "necessary frictions" of public transit ridership.

The op-ed begins, however, with an acknowledgement of the frustrations of riding public transit.

Yes, public transportation is often crowded and I have to stand uncomfortably close to someone I don’t know. Yes, germs galore coat the aluminum poles and railings that we cling to for dear life when the inevitable, hard inchworm lurch of the bus occurs. (And, yes, I probably get sick more often because of touching them.) Finally, yes, Lyft, Uber, and Chariot are the more convenient, cozy, safe, and better-designed options. 

But according to Heiman's account, the benefits far outweigh those drawbacks, for instance:

• The lack of a rating system on the bus. "There’s a social aspect to [transit], but not the pushy, faux one currently required any time I summon a rideshare car on my iPhone because I’m worried that the driver might give me a 4- rather than 5-star rating for my lack of small talk."
• "[T]here’s also a delicate we’re all in this together' camaraderie that binds us commuters…"
• "Even small mitzvahs occasionally squeeze in, such as when a young professional offers an elderly woman his seat, or the yells of 'Back door!' when someone struggles to exit from the rear."

Heiman shares more, but his conclusion is this: transit and the interactions and experiences it requires, feels genuine because it is genuine. What's more, the empathy Heiman gains on the bus makes him a better practitioner (he's a designer in the tech-booming San Francisco, as it turns out) and a better human.