Public Transport or Traffic Jams? (Daily Commute #6)
Posted On October 9, 2017
Hello Readers! Hope you all had a great weekend. To start your week afresh, here are some thoughts.
I saw an image on Instagram posted by a friend, Sagar Kulkarni. It was captioned, “Let’s try & use more of the public transport, at least for everyday travel.” And, I knew I had to share this little write-up based on the photo I saw.
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Instead of going through all 4 modes of transportation from office to home, I decided to book a cab one day. It was comfortable & less tiresome.
I decided to do the same thing on the day it was flooded. “No cabs available.”
How did I reach home? Public transportation.
I remember the time I used to criticize public transport. I hated when trains were delayed. Hated it even more when they were cancelled for no ‘reasonable reason.’ I still get agitated when rickshawalas do their selective screening of customers. (I mean, hello? I’m a recruiter, leave the screening to me & just drop me at the destination.) I wasn’t much of a fan of buses either. They kind of made me nauseous. So, you see the problem? The list goes on…
But, then I grew up & sucked it up. You start to realise that the importance stressed on public transport is really for reasons that go beyond an individual’s immature likes & preferences. So, yeah, I decided to take 4 modes of transportation (bus, train, metro & rickshaw) to reach office from home instead of taking my 2-wheeler or booking a cab without thinking of carpool.
“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars, it’s where the rich ride public transportation.”
I’m sure you must’ve read this quote too & it would’ve been just another underrated quote from among the many irrelevant hyped up ones you choose to overthink upon. Sad, isn’t it? You’d rather sit in traffic jams for hours pondering over something as silly as commitment issues, while ignoring the one thing that needs your attention. The irony! And, let me tell you, I’m no different. I’ve had days when I craved personal space & not having people all around me when my life was falling apart. I mean, you can cry sitting in your own car, but if you do that in train, you’ll get stares which you don’t need at that particular moment. But, there’s always home to fall apart & get back up. You just have to reach there swimming through a sea of people. Because, in the face of a calamity, they are the ones who will help you out. Not your personal space & definitely not your own SUV. Time & again, history has repeated. I witnessed it recently in the August rains, how you lean on public transport when you don’t have an option. So, why do we wait for a disaster to happen? Why not take the last resort as the first? After all, we all know, public transport is the best option, no matter how much we want to deny it.
- I don’t need public transport. But, I prefer it.
- It helps to do a lot of tasks on the commute while also saving time.
- It saves the environment, if you’re bothered about anything else than yourself. (Reduces carbon footprint, gasoline consumption, congestion & saves fuel.)
- It could be funny watching random people & you might even make friends. That’s what I’m doing with this series!!
- It is always reliable, unlike your car which might get a flat tire any time or worse.
And, the thing is, I stated these points only because the post kind of seemed incomplete without it. But, you all already know this, right? Because, you all are such smart people with your white-collar jobs or running your own business or something more badass!
So, if you know this & are using public transport, YOU ARE AWESOME!
And, if you know this & are NOT using public transport, what are you doing?
So, public transport or traffic jams? Choice is yours.
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.