What is Digg?222 Comments
- Chompy, on 06/08/2008, -36/+167Anyone with the ability to see past their own wallet will realize that, in the long run, high gas prices are a GOOD thing. Public transportation use is up over 10%, while demand for gas in the US has decreased more drastically that any time since WW2.
- imnojezus, on 06/08/2008, -1/+113If anyone was wondering how they'd cover operational costs, there are only one or two $1 seats per bus. "Then prices inch up to $7, $10, $15 and $20, before topping out at $25 on the longest routes." Still, even at $25 a seat, it's much cheaper than going by car.
- pumpedvideo, on 06/08/2008, -5/+95(BoltBus guarantees just one $1 seat per bus. "It's our marketing gimmick," admits Peter Picknelly, president of Peter Pan, which co-owns Bolt
- kent1146, on 06/08/2008, -7/+69I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Yes, people are driving less and using public transportation more. But the costs of high gas costs affect EVERYTHING, from transportation to food. This contributes to a weakening economy as people buy less, and to inflation (if the Fed keeps dropping interest rates in response)
If you want to promote less driving and more public transport, then raise taxes on personal auto use, such as a tax for not carpooling. - enclaved, on 06/08/2008, -23/+82***** that, I have no access to public transportation and my demand for gas hasn't changed at all. Paying more for the same ***** you used to pay less for is not good. Get off the oil company *****, they are not gouging us to save the planet from global warming or to help us reduce our dependance on foreign oil for our national safety. Some guy in a suit said 'you know we're running out of oil' and some other guy said 'JOLLY GOOD SIR YOU MAKE A FANTASTIC POINT WE SHOULD CHARGE AS MUCH AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE FOR THE REST OF IT'
- caphics, on 06/08/2008, -3/+38wow perfect for the summer! NYC and DC here i come!
- loneraven, on 06/08/2008, -4/+37Yea. This recent rise to mass transportation does me no good. Why? Because I have access to none of it. Sure if I lived in a big city like New York or Chicago, I could live my life pretty effectively without a car.
But I live in a fairly large city (of ~100,000) that virtually no mass transportation (they do have a bus system, but it leaves a lot to be desired) and the nearest store is three miles from my house. I don't live out in the country, in fact, I live in the city in the middle of a huge sprawling residential zone. I'd love to be able to take mass transportation if my city offered it, but hell, most cities don't. - briankeith, on 06/08/2008, -1/+31Don't click on the megabus link in the article. It leads to a spam/domain squatter site. The actual domain is: http://megabus.com . Obviously a typo by the writer or editor.
- johnstar, on 06/08/2008, -2/+29I make 2000 bucks a month, out of that after bills gas food and credit im trying to ***** up I have 60 dollars a month disposable income. Gas prices are going to make that 0 in the near future. I can't ride a bus and 1 bedroom apartment near my work (close enough to walk) cost 1,005 per month so Im *****.
in conclusion ***** OPEC - willi, on 06/08/2008, -1/+25I took this bus from NY to Philly $1. Best bus experience. There's even wifi onboard.
- orbit1979, on 06/08/2008, -0/+24Dam, maybe I'll ditch the car and take that vacation to New York City. Even without the $1 fare, the max is $25 per person and I won't have to sell my soul for gas and parking.
- yuanzhoulu, on 06/08/2008, -0/+22they also have free WiFi!!! the most important thing, they missed in the description!
also may i point out that they only guarantee at least one $1 seat per bus. the seats are most certainly NOT all $1, or else they wouldn't profit worth crap. you're looking at usually $7-15 per ticket which isn't too shabby either.
www.boltbus.com - inactive, on 06/08/2008, -0/+22Public transportation only really works in urban areas designed for it. I live in an old streetcar suburb so riding the bus is pretty nice... there's a stop 100 feet from my front door that goes within 2 blocks of my office (1 on the trip home, due to wacky 1-way streets downtown). I'm like, why the hell would I pay $4 a gallon when work gives me a free bus pass? it takes 20-30 minutes by bus to get to work... driving it could take 10 minutes if the streets are empty but often as not I'm not getting there much faster in a car than I would by bus due to traffic. I haven't driven to work since March and don't miss driving one bit.
Unfortunately for people in post-1945 suburbs... mass transit is going to suck with all those curving streets, cul de sacs and half-acre lots (who'd have thought living on a house crammed into .11 acres would be a good thing?). It might be a 20 minute walk to the stop and an hour or more to get to work on the bus. We need to start designing cities the way we used to... and hope it's not too late. - DreadPirate, on 06/08/2008, -4/+25And that is exactly what self-righteous pricks like Yellowcakewalk refuse to consider.He happens to live in an area with good public transportation, so that is the entire world to him.
- Dumbledorito, on 06/08/2008, -1/+20The other problem a lot of cities are seeing is a rush to use mass transit without the capacity to handle the added load. Also, voters and politicians have been de-funding public transit in a lot of places for years, and with cash/credit becoming tight, there's not a lot of extra funds to start adding busses or building light rail.
- orbit1979, on 06/08/2008, -2/+20I have been using public transportation a lot more lately, and realized that I do not need my car nearly as much as I previously thought. But, at least were I live, you still need a car for some stuff. There is still no viable alternative.
- thegreathal, on 06/08/2008, -0/+17I've been taking Boltbus for months. Leather seats+wifi+cheap+not crowded=It's ***** awesome. Megabus is good as well, but they're missing power plugs on the seats.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -1/+17This is a great alternative in some situations, but it hardly makes getting rid of my car realistic. Public transportation just won't get me to and from work where I live.
- yuanzhoulu, on 06/08/2008, -1/+17a rise in public transportation use means those companies, which are now getting more revenue, will be able to spend more to extend public transportation.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -2/+17Public Transportation for me is borrowing a neighbors horse.
- frogstik, on 06/08/2008, -0/+15Yeah here in Cincinnati we have the Mega Bus. It's pretty cheap to go from Cincy to Chicago about $30 each way on the most expensive -- but you can typically get some good deals if you plan ahead.
They are nice too -- you can just open your laptop, DS, iPhone, or whatever and relax. - orbit1979, on 06/08/2008, -6/+20What is your address so we can send you a portion of our high gas bills since you are part of the problem? I think it is only fare.
- nextyoyoma, on 06/08/2008, -2/+16reading comprehension FTW. He said he can't move closer to work because it would cost that much, not that his current apartment costs that much.
- curtisag, on 06/08/2008, -2/+15Yes lets increase inflation even worse by taxing all the small businesses for having the audacity to drive a personal vehicle. And while we're at it, there are way too many 18-wheeler trucks on the road, lets tax the ***** out of them too and increase the cost of practically everything and put many of them out of business. Taxes are not the solution to everything. Gas prices are already high enough to encourage people to conserve energy.
- deadlyrice, on 06/08/2008, -0/+12the chinatown bus has been running for years between philly, dc, nyc, and boston for very cheap (like 10 bucks a trip). shady transportation is my preferred mode of transportation.
- danr2c2, on 06/08/2008, -1/+12When will the BangBus be going into operation?
- bridow, on 06/08/2008, -2/+13philly to nyc by bus - $6
philly to nyc by amtrak - $56
ok this is a no brainer for me now. dugg! - orbit1979, on 06/08/2008, -1/+12(fair)
- KMartSheriff, on 06/08/2008, -0/+10That's great until you actually need to carry, say, anything other than yourself. Want to go shopping? Groceries? A date? Don't get me wrong, motorcycles are awesome, but not very practical (except for just going to work and back).
- anarchytv, on 06/08/2008, -3/+13Ride an electric motorbike. They get between 100 to 300 mpg cost equivalent. Yes, you read right. Over 100mpg.
My antique Honda Rebel motorbike, which runs on gas, and weighs about 350 pounds, gets anywhere from 50 to 100 mpg depending on how crazy fun or conservative you drive it (sticker quotes 66). And it was made 25 years ago. Engine is like a swiss watch, cranks up every time.
You can pay $$$ to haul 2500-3500 pounds of car/truck around whereever you go, but why do you want to? Do you really need to drive your radiator back and forth to work every day? Four tires? A huge transmission. A spare tire. Three extra passenger seats you don't use? You're paying a lot of money to move all that stupid crap around. - frogstik, on 06/08/2008, -0/+10I hear you man. I was the same way, then I got married my finances got better... my wife is one hell of a CFO -- and having dual incomes and no kids certainly does help.
Though now I've put myself on a $50/week allowance -- which does cut into my video game habit. ;)
It gets better... I promise -- getting that credit card paid off is quite possibly the greatest feeling ever. - ducs, on 06/08/2008, -1/+11Have you tried writing to your local transportation authority or city and state legislatures about it?
- Ravatar, on 06/08/2008, -0/+10Where the hell do you live? It's been around 90-95 degrees and sunny here for the last few days straight. And it's just going to keep getting warmer. It's gotta feel like an oven in that helmet.
- Dumbledorito, on 06/08/2008, -0/+9"And those that will say "But it's too cold! But I'll get wet! But I might crash and get hurt in an accident!" ... MAN THE ***** UP."
So what protective gear can one wear if one wishes to get a motorcycle without turning into an abraisive ***** with a Rambo complex? - RNEMESiS42, on 06/08/2008, -0/+9Who are you calling loser? Nearly everyone I know uses the bus in my city (Minneapolis), and we're definitely not losers, we just have a good public transit system. EVERYONE uses the buses, even if a lot of lower income "losers" are the majority. A lot of schools and workplaces around here provide discounted unlimited bus passes in semester/half-year intervals. It's a pretty good deal. Most people keep to themselves on the bus, and if the crazies bother you, just don't pay them any attention and they will lay off. We've already got light trails set up, and we're working on more. Waaaaay back in the day we had a nice trolly system set up, but of course it was buried like every other trolly system in the country.
Seriously, get out of your suburban home and actually talk to some people. - majikmixx, on 06/08/2008, -2/+11The attendant is a tranny??
- eryximachus, on 06/08/2008, -1/+10Reduced demand = reduced supply.
If we banned personal transportation vehicles tomorrow, the price of fuel would plummet.
It's that simple. So, you are quite wrong. Public transportation, if it were implemented effectively and the public was sufficiently encouraged to use it, would directly make truck transport and air transport less expensive. - frogstik, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8No *****... parking in any of the cities are going to cost you more than the bus trip... not to mention toll fees and just sitting in your car waiting in traffic.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -3/+11Public transportation won't help truckers fill up at the pump or airlines get passengers to their destination any cheaper. Sure, high prices will reduce consumption, but there is a very significant cost involved for those who have know alternative, and for consumers in general.
- Eira, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8They do something similar in Japan. Toll roads are insane (Tokyo to Osaka is about $200, excluding gas) and you have to pay taxes on your automobile every year from what I understand. Of course, public transportation is more plausible because the country isn't as spread out as much... But it'd be nice if America looked into a similar system.
- Netrilix, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8While I agree that it isn't entirely their fault, they're also posting record profits. The blame should be distributed fairly evenly.
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8But mass transit really only works with dense populations (such as China and India), or at least very intentionally built communities, such as suburbs built around a rail station (the relics of which exist in many American cities, they were very wealthy places built before cars were practical). You can't just ordain that mass transit will suddenly work with the cul-de-sac, curvy street surburbs we built for the past 60 years... those were designed only for cars, and they will work only for cars no matter how much you subsidize mass transit. Nobody in China using that great mass transit system is living in a neighborhood with 1-floor ranch houses on .75 acre lots.
- mithrasinvictus, on 06/08/2008, -0/+8They should have seen this coming for decades.
- FairDinkumMate, on 06/08/2008, -3/+10That's great. As soon as you work out how to keep the pollution from your inefficient, oversized vehicle within your own property, let me know & I'll stop complaining about you. Until then, I'll continue to think you're a selfish, self-centred prat that cares about nobody but yourself!
- secrity, on 06/08/2008, -2/+9Except for going into the City, which I seldom do, mass transit is useless to me. I would have to walk over a mile, and take well over an hour to get to work using the bus. I can drive the five miles to work in less than 15 minutes, door to door. Bicycling would be impossible.
Even when going into the city, I have to drive three miles to get to the transit station and pay to park there. - crapmatic, on 06/08/2008, -0/+7I recall taking a coach from Swindon to London when I was visiting the UK in the 1990s.... there were business travellers with laptop computers, snack and beverage service, and the whole damn bus was clean and comfortable. This was a bus departing from the regular old city bus station, too.
- gooberguy, on 06/08/2008, -1/+8uh they definitly dont top out at 25 dollars. i checked from my hometown (buffalo) to NY and got this...
outbound
10:15 PM Depart Buffalo, Downtown Terminal Arrive New York, Port Authority Gate 309 6:15 AM 1 seat = $58.00
11:15 PM Depart Buffalo, Downtown Terminal Arrive New York, Penn Station 7:00 AM 1 seat = $80.00
inbound
7:30 AM Depart New York, Port Authority Gate 309 Arrive Buffalo, Downtown Terminal 3:15 PM 1 seat = $21.00
9:00 AM Depart New York, Penn Station Arrive Buffalo, Downtown Terminal 4:45 PM 1 seat = $32.00
8:45 PM Depart New York, Port Authority Gate 309 Arrive Buffalo, Downtown Terminal 4:15 AM 1 seat = $32.00
9:00 PM Depart New York, Penn Station Arrive Buffalo, Downtown Terminal 4:45 AM 1 seat = $42.00 - tumbleweed05, on 06/08/2008, -0/+7And people ask me why I ride the bus. This is the reason why.
- ysss, on 06/08/2008, -2/+9Is the $1 seat in the loo? And do you have to switch seats with the attendant when heshe is on break?
- inactive, on 06/08/2008, -2/+9Well I still prefer bangin your mom in the backdoor while she sucks off a pterodactyl.
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