Reasons I stopped taking public transit to work
1. Trains were constantly delayed
I would often walk the 1.5 miles to the station only to find out that the train was delayed 20+ minutes without prior warning. This would happen constantly in the winter. It'd happen on the way home too, and that just made for extra misery.
2. I lost count of the amount of times they broke down
In the middle of nowhere with no cell service, no working bathroom, hundreds of people, and zero updates.
3. 6+ hour commutes that should've been 40 mins each way.
Rage inducing.
4. Being stuck to tight schedules
If I missed my morning train, I'd be late to work. Or I could take an earlier train and be an hour early to work. If I stayed even 5 minutes late at work, I'd have to wait an additional hour for the next train. Some trains were express but not to my stop, or ended before my stop. There was no flexibility.
5. Some of the other passengers
Things that I've witnessed: A guy clipping his toenails. A young girl vomit in her hands, wipe them off on her coat, and then touch basically every surface around her. A guy try to sexually assault me. A LOT of people on drugs. Fights. Exceptionally weird and gross eating habits. Etc....
6. My anxiety skyrockets in crowds
I can manage in crowds, but it's not pleasant. Having to do it twice a day every work day was a lot to take.
7. The cost
The price of the ticket kept rising but the level of service kept declining.
8. The overall condition of the trains are horrendous
The tracks and trains are in horrendous disrepair. There's no long-term solution in place. Seats are broken, trains derail, trains have caught fire. It's a nightmare.
9. It's a multi step process when commuting via public transit
After walking the 1.5 miles, and taking the train, I'd then have to take the T/subway or walk. The T isn't much better than the train and often has its own delays and issues. Walking was generally ok unless it was the winter and the city hadn't salted the sidewalks appropriately yet.
10. I no longer go in enough to justify it
I'm in the office once a week, if that. There isn't a need to do it. Also, I drive a hybrid that gets amazing gas mileage, I have flexibility with my hours, I can park close to work, and even with the traffic the commute isn't as bad.
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