A lot of people take the bus every day to work.
On one hand, there are a lot of great benefits to taking the bus.
However, on the other hand, there are also some downsides.
If you’ve been trying to decide whether or not you should consider taking the bus to work, then you may be thinking to yourself:
“What exactly are the pros and cons? What are the upsides and downsides?”
If you haven’t done much bus riding before, then you may not completely understand the context of the question.
So in this post, we’re going to cover 6 basic pros and cons that you really need to know if you’re considering riding the bus to work on a regular basis.
Let’s dive into it and answer the question.
1. Pro – It’s Reliable
The bus system tends to be pretty reliable.
You can almost set your watch to the bus driver’s punctuality in most cases.
This is great news for people who need to get to work on time and like to have a stable, consistent schedule.
You can pretty much rely on the bus to operate the same way every day.
2. Pro – It’s Cheap
Riding the bus is surprisingly cheap.
In today’s economy, with fuel prices going crazy the way they are, you may be concerned about fuel consumption in your own vehicle—and for good reason.
It’s getting more and more expensive to drive.
But riding the bus is still pretty affordable.
And if you buy a monthly bus pass, you can save even more money.
3. Pro – It’s Better Than Walking
Riding the bus may not be a perfect experience.
However, it sure beats walking—especially in the cold weather and in the rain.
At least you’ll be warm and dry.
Plus, most bus stops are covered so that you won’t have to stand right in the rain when you’re waiting for the bus.
To this degree, riding the bus may even be preferable to riding a bicycle in a lot of situations.
4. Con – It’s Not As Flexible
This is one of the primary downsides to riding the bus.
The bus comes at specific times and travels on specific routes.
And if those routes don’t really work with your schedule or with your place of work, then you’re going to be out of luck.
5. Con – The Routes May Or May Not Work Well For You
If the nearest bus stop to your house is a 20-minute walk, then that’s going to be a pretty significant downside to taking the bus every day.
On the same token, if the only bus arriving near your workplace at the appropriate time of the day gets you to work an hour early, that’s pretty much a whole hour gone from your day that you’re not going to get back.
Yes, the bus is reliable—and it offers a certain measure of flexibility.
However, you’re still stuck to the routes that are pre-planned by the bus system.
And this can be a downside in certain situations, depending on whether or not those routes actually work for you.
6. Con – If You Miss The Bus, You’re Going To Be Very Late
Buses come around pretty often.
But they usually don’t come often enough to help you catch up once you’re late for work.
If you miss your bus, it’s going to be a stressful day.
You may be 20 minutes late, an hour late, or 2 hours late—depending on the bus routes and departure times.
But this is something that’s going to put you at risk for possibly even losing your job if you run late, because it’s not a matter of making up the extra five minutes on the way—it’s a matter of waiting for a new bus, which will be a whole ordeal on its own.
Note: If you ever get into an accident involving a bus, always contact an attorney! You’re likely entitled to financial compensation.
JT Legal Group describes it like this:
“If you have been recently injured in a bus accident, it’s important to know that you could be entitled to compensation! In fact, you could get more than you may be expecting in some cases. So, what do you do if you’ve recently been injured in a bus accident? Well, the first order of business is to get in touch with a lawyer who specializes in these cases.”
Conclusion
There you have it.
6 pros and cons of taking the bus to work.
Equipped with this information, you can now make a common-sense decision about whether or not this may be the proper transit option for you.
The bus is pretty awesome, but it does have its downsides.
Either way, the choice is yours.