Bus #52

This is the bus I take to teach one of my English students.

 I catch the bus 2 blocks away from our apartment and it drops me off across the street from where my student works. It costs 15NT with is about 50 cent, I pay with convenient debit card that works on all buses, the subway, 7/11, some taxis, ...

The bus is big and roomy

When I go to my session, it on time and fairly empty.

This a far cry from the buses of 30 years ago, when I first came to Taiwan. In those days, the buses were more like smaller school buses, sometimes the seats would be removed so that more people could be packed in standing like sardines in a can. Women had to be careful about the "gropers" on the bus. But there weren't any alternatives. Almost nobody had a car(or a place to park it) and taxis were too expensive. Bus drivers knew they were the only game in town and so they treated the riders badly. Heaven help the poor rider without exact change.

This situation reminds me of taking the bus to De LaSalle high school as a kid. When the bus is the only option, then you have to play their game.

But nowadays there is an alternative: the subway. In response, the buses have become more convenient, the drivers more considerate and the routes more popular. It is great to see what competition can do. The same goes for taxis, I feel the drivers are better than before. Now if we could just do something about the scooters.