Why public transit stinks: stupid people.

It all started out like a normal Thursday morning. I hit the snooze, delayed getting up... Eventually giving in to the inevitability, I showered, dressed, breakfasted, and headed out the door a couple of minutes later than planned, which believe it or not, I planned for. :)

It was the first really rainy, cold day we've yet had. I broke out my winter coat. *sigh* Dear family and friends in Nebraska and Michigan, you've been so kind as to share your weather, but I didn't ask for it or really want it! :)

I get to the Metro and am walking down the escalator (yes, we walk up and down them here - stand on the right, walk on the left) only to see my usual train's doors close and the train depart without me. Darn. So I hop on the train that's just arrived and is mostly empty. The extra time at the station means I get to board the third or fourth train car (which will be closest to the escalators at the stop I'll get off at). The train takes off in less than 5 minutes, so I'm in pretty good shape... or so I think.

Eight stops down the track, one stop away from my stop, the conductor says over the intercom, "We will be holding at this station due to a sick passenger on the train. Please remain while we clear the train car." (Only the train car with the sick person - read that as the person who threw up on the train. They don't stop the train for people who feel woozy or have a headache.) So the train car clears and from my seat inside the train I see Metro workers walking up and down the platform.

After like 5 or 10 minutes, it appears that they have the car cleared, and they go to close the doors. The doors open and close probably 5 or 10 times. The train doesn't move. The conductor comes back on the intercom to say that there is now a problem with the doors and that the train will be going out of service. All passengers must off-load. This, of course, means that this standing-room-only train that has now been at the same station for 10 minutes has to offload all of its passengers and run empty the rest of the route. *sigh*

It takes somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes for all the passengers, myself included, to off-load and for Metro personnel to clear the train and FINALLY it leaves the station, passenger free. By now, they are announcing delays on two of the lines due to a sick customer (by this point, I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor schmuck who is now infamous for getting sick on the train), and they are sorry for the inconvenience. The next train pulls up and I push my way aboard, barely. I probably could have passed out on the train and stayed perfectly upright it was so tight, but I only had to go one stop, so I managed ok.

Once I got off the train, I marched up the 2nd longest escalator in the whole Metro system, and then nearly ran to get in line for the waiting bus that would take me to campus. Two people ahead of me in line, they cut off loading. The bus was full. By this point, I had no idea what time it was, but I knew I was going to be late for stats. Not my favorite way to start my full day of classes... on the other hand, and a bit of a silver lining was that I was late for the worst class ever: Stats. :)

Another bus pulls up less than 5 minutes later, and I ask the bus driver to stop at the building where I have class if possible (if they hit a red light at that corner, they'll let passengers off. If they don't, then it's a 7 or 8 minute hike to get to class. Knowing my luck this morning, you can probably guess it: no red light for Steph this morning. So I hoof it to class as fast as I can and breathlessly slide into my seat. I whip out my notebook and start copying down what the professor is furiously writing on the board. I look over at Alex who I was sitting next to, and ask what time it was. She says, 8:50 (which is the time class starts). I said, "I'm not late?" She said, "No." I was flabbergasted.

So here's what I think the problem is with public transit: stupid people. Let me illustrate... Had I not been so stupid (#1) as to leave 4 minutes later than I intended, then I would have caught the train I wanted and been one train ahead of the puke train. Stupid person # 2 is the person who thought it would be a good idea to ride the train while feeling ill - seriously, how hard is it? Stupid person #3 is me for wasting the energy walking up the 2nd longest escalator in the Metro system, when I would have gotten on the same bus either way. And stupid person #4 is me again for not looking at my darn watch and realizing I was fine on time the whole time. The trouble with public transit is stupid people, more often than not the very person who's in a rush and thinking how ridiculous all the other people are. :)