I love/hate the bus system

Anyone that knows me, knows that I hate to drive in traffic. Also, anyone that knows Houston, knows that traffic and Houston go hand-in-hand. Heck, if I wanted to drive to work, I'd have to be on the road by 5AM to have traffic suitable to my taste.

So my solution since 2000 has been to ride Houston's METRO park & ride bus line. It saves my sanity but I sure find it an annoyance at the same time.

Take for example the morning commute in. If you try to catch a bus before 6:00AM, you end up having to wait in long lines because they only have one bus in the queue. It leaves and you have to wait around 15-20 minutes for the next one. If you come after 6:00AM, they have them stacked 3 deep. Just pick a bus and get on it. Now granted, you are in a line. So you could end up being their for 30 minutes or more before the bus you boarded reaches it's scheduled departure time. But it is heated in the winter time and air-conditioned in the summer. Also, you can sleep while you wait your turn to leave.

Coming home is less or a burden because the busses run pretty frequently. The hassle is getting seat. So I've devised a strategy where I find it much more comfortable for me in the long run if I walk to the first stop on the line and catch it there. Then I get the pick of seats and I just recline and relax.

But every now and again, you get a bus driver that won't stop unless you jump out in front of him and then when you chase them down they inform you that you made no clear indication that you wanted to board. My understanding from METRO is that they are to stop at all stops, unless there is noone standing there....arg

This is just going to be one of those necessary evils I'm going to have to live with until I either get over my bizarre fear of driving in traffic or I get a job closer to where I live