missing a bus vs. train

[mindstalk]

At a bus stop today I realized another advantage of metro trains over buses: you can't miss your train. More precisely, comparing the two situations of being at the stop, you're far less likely to fail to get on your train.

1. Trains always stop, even if you're bent over a book.

2. Trains are loud enough that you'll probably notice even if you're reading a book.

3. Trains are distinct enough that you don't be distracted by many false positives, apart from the opposite-direction train (which there shouldn't be more than one of), or if you're at a station with overlapping lines.

By contrast, if you're the only person who wants a stop and you look like you're not paying attention, a bus driver can easily decide to pass you by. And bus noise blends in with traffic enough that you either risk not being alert to the incoming bus, or else have to pay constant attention to the road so you don't miss it.

I'm not sure how these carry over to streetcars and light rails. I suspect they tend more toward the metro side of things, especially if they have distinct platforms. OTOH the Toronto streetcars, which you board from the street (crossing traffic to get to), might be closer to the bus.

Comments

[squirrelitude]

One minor exception that comes to mind is a flag stop, where the train only stops if there's someone to pick up. I don't know how many of these are purely based on line of sight from train driver to platform, but I imagine there are some where you need to be standing visibly in order for the train to stop.

But yeah, waiting for the bus is always a much less relaxing activity. :-/

[mindstalk]

Usually don't find flag stops in a metro/rapid transit system. Commuter rail, yeah, I recall the MBTA commuter schedules having some flag stops.