GRT, yeah you know me
Until recently, I would have said that I hate Toronto, but still in many ways, I do. Being a proud country boy, I despise the city, and stay only as long as I need. I live in Kitchener-Waterloo, which is still a big city, and I rely mostly on public transportation and the kindness of friends, to get around. I hear a lot of people that complain about the GRT (Grand River Transit), and one excuse that they offer up is that it's not as good as the TTC. Well people in Toronto complain about the TTC all the time too. I have used public transit in five different countries, and they always complain. Why? Why do people complain when their pittance of a fee doesn't guarantee them perfectly on time service, clean and comfortable seats, and a pleasant social atmosphere? I love the bus. If everyone loved the bus as much as me, there would be more of them, fewer cars, and better routes and schedules. Say what you want about unreliable schedules, they are close enough, and nobody I know is so bloomin' important that they can't afford to wait another 15 minutes for a bus. Sure the bus doesn't always smell the greatest, but it's public vehicle. I know lots of private vehicles that smell way worse, and they only carry one person. And then people complain to me about the weird people they have to deal with on the bus. This one irks me the most. I've had all sorts of encounters with people representing innumberable disorders on my GRT excursions, and I'm better for it. One woman asked me if I was Jesus. A guy in a wheelchair asked me to flex for him, and squeezed my muscles when I did. I've had long talks with the sad and the twisted, the old and the young, the straight and the gay, those addicted to drugs and those addicted to Jesus, the teenage expectant girl and the aging lonely widow, the quiet war veteran and the vocal peace activist, etc. Why do people complain about taking the bus? I think deep down it's because they cannot be satisfied until they live far enough from the fringe of society that they no longer have to deal with those fringes.

   [ posted by William @ 10:14 PM ]