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0 pointsjoxdosba7d ago0 comments

Am European, at least in the big cities, public transport is mostly not worth using unless you are too poor to afford better options.

Too crowded, too hot, there’s a decent chance of arriving at your destination drenched in sweat. Not to mention how absolutely gross the people sitting next to you will often be.

I’ll happily take a few parking fines every day rather than getting in the tube.

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13 comments · 3 top-level

inigyou7d ago· 5 in thread

Nobody uses it, it's too crowded

joxdosbaOP7d ago

People mostly use it because they can’t afford the better options.

McDonald’s is also extremely popular, as are Coca Cola and Bud light.

moooo997d ago

I extensively use public transit. While the cost savings are certainly nice, it is just soo much more comfortable.

Today I spent half my workday on a train going +200km/h to visit my parents. The alternative would have been an excruciating 6 hour car drive

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wolvoleo7d ago

How can it be crowded if nobody uses it?

adregan7d ago

It’s a famous “Yogi-ism”[0]

> On why he no longer went to Ruggeri's, a St. Louis restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.”

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra

abenga7d ago

that's the point.

aiisjustanif6d ago· 3 in thread

How about in European big cities where that is not the case? Prague, London, Prague, Budapest, Zurich, Madrid, Berlin, Vienna…? So many people, especially not particularly poor people, use them to commute every single week. Notoriously, for some of these cities, it is slower to travel by car for your commute.

joxdosbaOP6d ago

I live in London, temperatures in excess of 30C are frequent on the Tube. If I’m going to or coming from the gym, that’s fine. Otherwise it really isn’t.

The metro in Prague is indeed good, it’s just not a big city.

Zurich also has excellent public transport, but it’s really a village at best.

Madrid has Barcelona beat, but still occasionally suffers from a lack of air conditioning frequently leading to absurd temperatures.

aiisjustanif4d ago

I also live in London and never specified underground or trains only for any of these cities. Buses also cheap and air conditioned.

Also 2-4 months at best out of the year is not a great argument for public transportation not being the better option compared to cars and parking that don’t scale.

Side note, Elizabeth, District, Circle, Hammersmith & city, and Metropolitan lines where many people work are air conditioned. So are the trains to paddington and St. Pancras from any “village” outside of the London zones. This summer especially it’s been good for me.

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inigyou5d ago

TIL Zurich is a village

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wolvoleo7d ago· 2 in thread

I could afford a car and I also live in a big European city. But a car is a huge hassle here. Just trying to figure out where to park the thing every time is a huge stressor. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that anymore. Nor the fuel, the fines, the maintenance, the insurance, the road tax, the parking fees all that stuff. I could afford it but I'd rather spend it on something I actually enjoy.

Public transport here costs a fixed fee a month for which I couldn't even top up a quarter tank.

joxdosbaOP7d ago

I need only one crowded Tube ride without air conditioning before a meeting for the total cost of car ownership to appear like an incredible bargain.

wolvoleo7d ago

Oh the tube here has aircon everywhere. A bit too much even, you get this cold shock every time.

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0 comments

13 comments · 3 top-level

inigyou7d ago· 5 in thread

Nobody uses it, it's too crowded

joxdosbaOP7d ago

People mostly use it because they can’t afford the better options.

McDonald’s is also extremely popular, as are Coca Cola and Bud light.

moooo997d ago

I extensively use public transit. While the cost savings are certainly nice, it is just soo much more comfortable.

Today I spent half my workday on a train going +200km/h to visit my parents. The alternative would have been an excruciating 6 hour car drive

1 more reply

wolvoleo7d ago

How can it be crowded if nobody uses it?

adregan7d ago

It’s a famous “Yogi-ism”[0]

> On why he no longer went to Ruggeri's, a St. Louis restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.”

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra

abenga7d ago

that's the point.

aiisjustanif6d ago· 3 in thread

joxdosbaOP6d ago

I live in London, temperatures in excess of 30C are frequent on the Tube. If I’m going to or coming from the gym, that’s fine. Otherwise it really isn’t.

The metro in Prague is indeed good, it’s just not a big city.

Zurich also has excellent public transport, but it’s really a village at best.

Madrid has Barcelona beat, but still occasionally suffers from a lack of air conditioning frequently leading to absurd temperatures.

aiisjustanif4d ago

I also live in London and never specified underground or trains only for any of these cities. Buses also cheap and air conditioned.

Also 2-4 months at best out of the year is not a great argument for public transportation not being the better option compared to cars and parking that don’t scale.

1 more reply

inigyou5d ago

TIL Zurich is a village

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wolvoleo7d ago· 2 in thread

Public transport here costs a fixed fee a month for which I couldn't even top up a quarter tank.

joxdosbaOP7d ago

I need only one crowded Tube ride without air conditioning before a meeting for the total cost of car ownership to appear like an incredible bargain.

wolvoleo7d ago

Oh the tube here has aircon everywhere. A bit too much even, you get this cold shock every time.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse