Leon. Photo by Ashton Hare
Public transportation is a key factor for any city. Most major cities have various options to transport people. These would include subways, taxis or even buses.
According to the CDC “the purpose of introducing or expanding public transportation is to increase access to and use of public transit while, at the same time, reducing motor vehicle miles driven and traffic congestion.”
Most public transport costs little to no money for the public to use. Because of how cost efficient transportation is, most people, especially in larger cities, prefer public methods of traveling rather than individual means.
In Oklahoma City, just like in every other state, public transportation is used. While taxis and subways are more common in bigger centers like New York City or Los Angeles, Oklahoma City mainly uses buses for transport.
Embark Bus Lines is one of the bus services that runs through certain areas of Oklahoma.
Navion, an 18 year old OCCC student who rides the bus lines, says that the buses “sometimes come every hour, and some come every thirty minutes.”
Part of the reason why people love buses and other forms of public transportation is because they are so dependable and reliable.
While having a personal vehicle is useful to have for people who want control of where they want to go and when, public transportation is cheaper and more reliable.
Travis, a 46 year old worker who has been riding the bus off and on since 1994, says his favorite part of public transport is “it’s always here [and] it’s dependable.”
Rain or snow the buses always run.
Cars can break down and take days or even weeks for the correct part to come in. Sometimes cars malfunction while on the road which is even worse for travelers.
Public transport can shut down, but when it does it isn’t up to the passengers to pay for the repair, so they save time and money. Transport is not only convenient, but it is also cheaper for people to use.
In Oklahoma City, the Embark Bus Line costs “$1.75 for runways and for a full day pass it is $4.00” discloses Tre, another bus user. These prices are very affordable, and even preferable, with how much gas prices are rising in today’s economy. With gas prices jumping to $3.00 or more over the usual price, filling up a tank of gas is becoming expensive. When taking city transport people don’t have to worry about the rising gas prices, all they have to pay is a few dollars for their ticket and they are good to go.
One disadvantage of relying on a mode of transportation outside of a person’s control is that they have to wait on the bus each day.
Leon, who’s been riding the bus for about two years, claims what he doesn’t like about the bus is “the wait. Sometimes the wait will be longer than it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be every 30 minutes or less, [but once] I stood out there for forty five minutes.”
Waiting on passage can be a huge inconvenience. Especially if people are in a hurry or the weather is acting up. One of the advantages of owning a vehicle is that people who do, don’t have to worry about weather or wait time.
Even with the factor of wait time added in, the pros of public transportation outweigh the cons. Transportations costs less and is more dependable when it comes to getting people from place to place. Which is just what people need in this economy.
“I’m very thankful for the bus,” Travis said.
Which is how many people feel about public transport.
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