Map of annual average temperatures as a function of location. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The constant use of cars or factories that pollute the Earth contribute to the rise in temperature throughout the world.  Then the higher temperature begins to melt our polar ice caps, which in turn increases the quantity of the oceans resulting in a loss of land.  There are many ways to reduce pollution throughout the Earth, by carpooling to reduce the number of cars on the road, or by taking public transportation instead.  However, if we ignore the signs then we could see the whole world become a barren desert in the near future.

Even though what he did was Illegal, many people have started to call him their Hero. What do you guys think? What he did was okay? To many it was bad in such a way that, what would have happened if there had been a security threat? What would have happened if one of the rider had an emergency at home? Keep in mind cellphone jammer also disrupts emergency services, making the use of it illegal under federal law. Answering these questions does surely make one think, what he did was bad. He did not have a “RIGHT” to cut off every-ones communication, no one has. But it was good too, what he did was fighting against “Noise Pollution”. Whispers can turn into a noise as well, if many whisper at the same time. Noise pollution can damage human’s physiological and psychological health. If you think that noise pollution cannot do anything, then I should remind you that it can cause, annoyance, high stress level, aggression, hypertension, sleep disturbances, hearing loss and many other harmful effects. 

Looking at it this way, he is surely a hero. What he did should really send a message to the lawmakers, to amend the law on the usage of cellphone, when in public. The usage of cellphone should be limited in public and it should  be only used when necessary. Cellphones should not be used to brag about your day, especially when you are not within your own premises. Caring for others teaches us to become a better human. All we know about the identity of that man is his name, “Eric”.  

However, we should live happily no matter what happened, which allowed us to live longer. Following are tips to enjoy your daily public transport riding moment:

1.       Enjoy your favorite gadget.

This is the most common way to killing time waiting at station or while riding our public transportation. I observed most of daily travelers bring along their gadget like mp3 players/Ipod, portable video game gadget, tablet PC.However, most of them are using ear phone for listening to their favorite music, news, radio or even playing game with sounds. This is sounds good since not disturbing other passengers unless you turn it louder which not health for your ear in the long run.

2.       Read daily newspaper or magazine.

This  looks like old fashioned but still many passengers buy morning paper and read in public transport or while waiting at station. There’s modern way to do it, young people read news or magazine from their Ipad or any other tablet PC or maybe just open their facebook account and check out what their friends doing and express their current status.

3.       Talking to other passenger

Not everyone feels comfort to talk with strangers who sitting beside you. However, I found many opportunity and experience to get new friends by raise my confidence level to start conversation. Even I had one serious relationship with one of them when I am still in college. We should have observed situation and guess what type of people we will talk to.

4.       Choose your favorite seat

Maybe this not really happened and depends on situation. But if I travel from terminal then I prefer to ride bus or train first then I will choose windows seat in the middle or front row. If riding the train or commuter, I will choose standing nearby door if I could not able to get seat since the windows is wider there.

5.        Observe people surrounds you

Some not really enjoy this but I did it. I like to observe what other people do, explore their fashion, their talking style or even witness fight sometimes. However, we must be careful not to starring too long or they will feel offended and give us big problem. Sometimes, I just looking out the windows and observe people activities outside.

In conclusion, many of us should have different ways to enjoy our traveling. If we traveling outside town maybe situation will be different since we must enjoy the scenery or even can sleep if the duration is long.

            Sure, more public transportation would be nice, but what about all the taxes that go with it? Aren’t residents already taxed enough? This is Idaho, after all, and if someone wants to have more public transportation, then why don’t they just move to a state where people are willing to pay the high taxes, like Oregon? Besides, it’s not even the right time to be having this conversation. The state has record high unemployment and it’s hard enough to make ends meet with the taxes we already have. If anything, we should be lowering taxes to help paychecks go a little further. Is this what you’re thinking?

            Many residents in the valley would agree with you. Who in this valley doesn’t want to see everyone’s buck stretch a little further? Usually, when politicians raise taxes it’s hard to see where all our hard earned dollars are going. There’s definitely no reason to have a tax if residents aren’t going to be able to see a benefit. 

            But, what if a tax could actually save us money? The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho cited a study in their recent report that said people in communities with high quality public transportation actually save about $660 every year. Imagine yourself, sipping your latte and reading the paper on your way to work with a $660 check in your pocket, while someone else does the driving. And, instead of grinding through bumper-to-bumper traffic, your driver is cruising down a clear road because the rest of your neighbors left their cars at home and joined you. This could be your life if you actually had that bus stop you could walk to.

            True, it will cost money to get that bus stop to your house and there will be growing pains, but maybe it’s worth it. Times are tough right now, and everyone is always waiting for it to get better, but no one actually knows when that day will come. It might take a lot longer than any of us expect. Boise is a great place to live and that’s not changing anytime soon, which means more people are going to come, whether we like it or not. Since more people means more headaches on the road-and there are already enough-maybe we should start to think about making the situation better instead of waiting for it to happen. Maybe now is actually a good time to make transportation more available to all of us. It’s certainly at least worth considering.

The most common reason is, not all families can afford to have a car so, there is no motivation for every member of the family,  man or woman to learn driving.  Besides that, there is no problem of transportation because there are lots of passenger bus and Jeeps to take them around the place they want to go.  Anytime of the day, they can ride a passenger vehicle to take them to their appointment so, why bother to learn driving?  They don’t have a car to drive anyway.

It is instilled in the minds of the Filipino ladies that driving is for men only because mostly men were driving buses, jeepneys, taxi, van and truck. There are few ladies who drove their personal vehicles but you can count them in your fingers. You can not see ladies driving buses, trucks and the like in the Philippines. In America, almost everybody is driving. Young and old are on the wheels. Most people in United States are driving except maybe the blind and the disabled. This is the reason why Filipino lady immigrants are having a hard time learning to drive because they are scared on the road.  Well, it takes time to gain courage specially when you are already old when you start to learn.

In the Philippines, usually the ladies are not working. Most of them are just staying home so, there’s no pressure to take driving course when you are just staying home and you don’t have car to drive. For ladies who are working, they don’t have any problem of going to work because there are public transportation available.

Maybe there are other countries where women are not driving like India, Indonesia and maybe Malaysia and I would think the reasons are pretty much similar.

Earlier in the twentieth century, people regularly took buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation everywhere – to and from work, to school, to the market. But nowadays when owning a car, in many cities in the United States, is almost a must, not as many people take public transportation even though taking the train or the bus is not only good for the environment, but one’s wallet. Public transportation can save money.

While some may argue that public transportation is good for the environment and abolishing the bus fee, the subway fee, and so on would encourage more people to use it, I argue that although making public transportation free would most likely increase the people using it, it would not increase by a lot. This is because if it about cost, people are already saving by using public transportation – yet most people still do not use it. Owning a car can cost thousands of dollars each month, including costs like gas, repairs, which occur every once and a while, and insurance. If public transportation were free, people with cars would continue to use their cars, and people who take public transportation would go about their lives as normal.Making public transportation free would not take cars off of the road.

The increase in people using public transportation would include mostly homeless people who otherwise would not be able to get around. You might see this as a positive thing for homeless people to be able to take the subway and the bus free, but this would be – not to sound offensive – too dangerous to other passengers, depending on the person.

If public transportation were to become free, the increase of passengers, the majority being homeless people or drug addicts, mostly on buses, would cause the city to have to expand the buses for them to fit more people. But where would they get this money? Not from bus fares, or train fares. People may say taxes, but there simply would not be enough money after schools, soup kitchens, and much more. The government would be forced to raise taxes to pay for the free transportation. And even if the government did not need to expand the bus system, the government would have to raise taxes anyway to make up for the money they were not getting from public transportation fares.

So, because making public transportation free would not take cars off of the road, and be an extra burden on the people, public transportation should not be free.

Richard Trevithick built the first locomotive that was powered by the steam engine.[2] This was the beginning of the railroad system that allowed people to travel quickly. Today we still use trains to transport goods and people. An example is our underground rail systems. The first underground rail system was created in London in 1863,[3] which gave way to the subways of today.

In 1878 Nikolaus Otto built the internal combustion engine.[4] This soon took the place of the steam engine and led to newer inventions. The first powered plane was built in 1903 by Wilbur and Orville Wright. Henry Ford created the Model T. in 1908. From these, busses and airplanes were built to carry lots of people.[5]

Cars became more and more popular as they became more affordable. They are now the primary form of transportation. Now, since so many cars dominate the road, we are experiencing problems. Exhaust is polluting the air, the excess carbon dioxide put out after burning fuel is contributing to global warming, traffic is heavy[6], and gas prices are rising. It is becoming necessary to do something about it.

The bus is a primary form of public transportation. Using it is a great way to decrease all of the problems created by cars and help our economy.

Environmental Benefits

Public transportation helps reduce the amount of vehicles on the road, therefore reducing traffic and pollution of our planet. Every year, public transportation prevents the emission of more than 126 million pounds of hydrocarbons, which cause smog, and 156 million pounds of nitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory illness. Taking public transit to work every day instead of driving separately reduces vehicle exhaust emissions and pollutants every year by 3300 pounds.[7] In comparison with private vehicles, public transportation generates 95% less carbon monoxide, 92% less in volatile organic compounds, and about half as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger mile.[8] These reductions will make us all healthier and clean up our environment.

Taking the bus improves the environment and quality of life. There is no need to worry about fossil fuels diminishing with the public transportation system. With more people per vehicle, less fuel has to be used. Don’t worry—gas stations will still get business. Busses still need fuel and there are people who don’t live near a bus stop who still have to drive. In 1999, public transportation vehicles used about 856 million gallons of fossil fuels and 5.2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity—less than 1% of all energy consumed in the U.S.[9] By using public transportation, we will have our natural resources for a very long time.

Economic Benefits

Business Benefits

Public transportation will help businesses.[10] Having bus access near a given business will cut the costs of parking and increase sales, simply because it is more accessible to the public. When businesses invest in transit capital they will generate an increase of $2 million in output. After 20 years it will increase to $31 million. If local businesses invest only $10 million in public transportation, sales results of $30 million will come back to them.[11] The more businesses invest in public transportation, the more they will be benefited in the long run.

Job Creation

Jobs are not as plenteous as they need to be in our society today and an increase in the use of public transportation will increase jobs. Many people are looking for jobs, but not so many are finding what’s needed to support themselves and their families. These people can be helped if we use the public transportation system and create new jobs. If more busses are used, more busses are needed, and more employees are hired. Bus drivers, trainers, builders, mechanics, security, etc. are all jobs created by using the system. Economic studies show that for every $10 million invested in public transportation systems between 314 and 570 jobs are created![12]

Money Circulation

Every time someone rides the bus they are contributing to economic benefits. When public transportation is used it generates jobs. When the amount of jobs available is close to the amount of people needing jobs, the economy is stimulated to do well.[13] Like any store, restaurant, dentist office, etc. business would not be possible without the customers. When there are more jobs, there is more money in circulation. Consumers will buy more products and businesses do well. The more money we have in circulation, the more taxes are collected that can go in to the treasury and help decrease our national debt.

The economic benefits of taking the bus to school far outweigh the use of one’s own car. Taking the bus could mean more money in the pocket book. Investing in the public transportation system generates up to six times that amount through the economy.[14] The government will even see a 4-16% gain in revenues, because of income and employment generated by public transit.[15]

Saving Money

By using public transit billions can be saved, and Americans love to save money. For every $10 million put toward public transportation, over $15 million can be saved in transportation costs.[16] Since transportation is the 2nd largest household expense next to housing claiming 18% of American spending, that is a substantial difference. Using public transportation on a regular basis generates an increase of $800,000 for ever $10 million in the 1st year. After 20 years it gets even better—$18 increase in personal income![17] By using a small amount of cash to board the public bus, money is saved in large amounts on gas, insurance, and, if used enough, car payments. Considering the price of gas and insurance right now that is a tremendous advantage. Public transportation is affordable and even saves you money.

Wasted Time

Since the invention of the automobile, cities have become continually spread out.[18] We can no longer get everywhere when we need to just by walking. We have to use alternate forms of transportation. More and more people have bought cars and use them to get from point A to point B, but anymore this time is very costly. It is said that procrastination is the thief of time, but anymore transportation is what really steals time away. Driving time covers a great deal of our busy lives. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, drivers in 1/3 of U.S. cities studied have spent more than 40 hours a year in traffic that was stopped in its tracks. Drivers often spend ½ as much time in traffic as they do on vacation each year.[19] Traffic is an increasing problem everywhere, from the small towns to the big cities. Building more roads for drivers is not the answer. Cities would require an average of 37 more lane miles for each year of increased traffic.[20] Our world would eventually be one big highway. Clearly, utilizing public transportation is the only way to conquer this problem—there are far too many vehicles on the road.

Safety

Even with all the benefits of riding the bus, many people are scared to do it. Since the 9/11 attack more people have driven their own cars thinking they will be safer and less prone to terrorism. However that is exactly what the terrorists want us to do. If they control fear, they control us. Even with the deaths from terrorist attacks, public transit is still the safest form of travel. The traffic fatality rate per passenger-kilometer is less than one-tenth that of automobile travel.[21] Private vehicle drivers are constantly distracted by radio, cell phones, noise from other passengers, etc. According to the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center each year an estimated 284,000 distracted drivers are involved in serious accidents. Public transportation offers distracted driver a reliable alternative to driving. Alcohol-related traffic deaths are rising. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 16,653 people were killed in accidents involving alcohol, representing 40% of the 41,821 people killed in traffic crashes in 2000.[22] Public transportation helps to keep dangerous drivers off the road by providing a needed transportation choice.

Conclusion

Public transportation has advantages over private transport. By taking the bus to school and/or work people are contributing to the environment and the economy. Public transportation in America will soon become cleaner and more efficient if we use it to its full potential. Utilizing bus services is a step toward improving the future and making the world a better place to be.

1. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003.
2. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003.
3. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003.
4. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003.
5. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003.
6. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003.
7. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
8. “Keeping Transit Rolling: Six Reasons to Support Transit!” 2003. Transportation Choices Coalition. 10 Nov. 2005.
9. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
10. Edmonton, Citizens for Better Transit. “Business Gains with Better Transit,” Citizens for Better Transit. 04/03.
11. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
12. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
13. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
14. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
15. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
16. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
17. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
18. Lambert, Richard D., and Heston, Alan W., eds. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: America Enters the Eighties—Some Social Indicators. Vol. 453. Philadelphia. 1981. Pgs. 70-95.
19. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
20. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005.
21. Litman, Todd. “Terrorism, Transit and Public Safety: Evaluating the Risks.” Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 22 July 2005.
22. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005. <http://www.publictransportation.org/>

Bibliography

1. Edmonton. Citizens for Better Transit. “Business Gains with Better Transit,” Citizens for Better Transit. 04/03. <www.bettertransit.ab.ca>
2. “From carriages to commuter rail: Transportation and Public Transit.” Transit people. 2001-2003. <http://www.transitpeople.org>
3. “Keeping Transit Rolling: Six Reasons to Support Transit!: 2003. Transportation Choices Coalition. 10 Nov. 2005. <http://www.transportationchoices.org/SixReasonsToSupportTransit.asp>
4. Lambert, Richard D., and Heston, Alan W., eds. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: America Enters the Eighties—Some Social Indicators. Vol. 453. Philadelphia. 1981. Pgs. 70-95.
5. Litman, Todd. “Terrorism, Transit and Public Safety: Evaluating the risks.” Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 22 July 2005. <http://www.vtpi.org>
6. Public Transportation. 2003. American Public Transportation Association. 08 Nov. 2005. <http://www.publictransportation.org/>

It’s always been an unquestioned necessity for me to have buses, metro’s, trams and trains running regularly and transporting me to wherever I’m wishing to go. That may be why I didn’t pay accessibility and transportation a second thought when I found out I was going to go to exchange in a little town in Western Pennsylvania called Indiana. Anyway, it was only 500 kilometres away from New York and the delights of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were even closer. And Chicago and Niagara Falls for sure were easy to reach by bus. The four months would be so filled with traveling that I didn’t even know where to start.

However, after arriving to the small snow-covered town, the reality started finally to take in. This place was designed to people who left the comfort of their houses only with their big cars and even though Indiana is considered to be a student town, it was screaming for the lack of transportation which a European student finds as an absolute necessity. The connections from campus to the malls did exist, employing men and women clearly in retirement age, and transporting even older people and the few students who didn’t have the luxury of owning a car. But what it comes to leaving the town, it had been made extremely difficult for non-car owners. The bus to Pittsburgh (and to the closest airport), run twice a day, but there was no point of going for day trip because three hour’s city pleasure isn’t worth of six hour’s sweaty and bumpy bus trip. And having experienced the old, sometimes too hot and sometimes too cold busses, the 18 hour’s trip to New York by road didn’t seem that tempting any more. Neither did any other options. And there we were with my fellow exchange students, lying on our dormitory beds on evenings, listening to the whistles of the carriage train and imagining how easy it would be if it just would take people.

By writing this I’m not meaning to complain over things that can’t be done better by moaning. I’m simply wishing to share my astonishment with others, and maybe even offer a warning to people who are considering exploring America beyond the big cities. It introduces a European student a completely different mentality which is difficult to understand if not experienced in person. The concepts individualism and freedom which are cherished in the American culture show their distorted edges in this travelling issue. The well-off can access everything they need easily from the comfort of their huge cars but the other side of the society is left in the mercy of miserable public transport and the strength of their own will. Because you really need a patience of a saint and a good amount of strong will to sit down in a bus for 18 hours to access a city only 500 km away.

But eventually getting around in Western Pennsylvania wasn’t as difficult as it first seemed. You just had to adapt to completely new conditions, take your time to get into the closest airport and fly! Thanks to the countless budget flight companies and the excellent exchange rate between dollar and euro, I and my fellow exchange students managed to see plenty of interest places after all during our one semester stay.