I want to catch a local bus.

Being born and brought up in India, as far as I remember....the first few words that I spoke when I was a kid were 'amma', 'appa' (meaning Mom n Dad respectively) followed by the word 'Auto'!!! (shortform for Autorickshaw)

Believe me....Autorickshaws are that common in our country! The minute you are out of your door steps, you are greeted by this screechy little thing on the road. Just get ready....walk to the curb, call or wave at a speeding auto and zooo..mmm comes the auto-driver in his tiny little escort. The best thing about having autos running around was, never in my life I had to worry about transportation. My mom till now hasn't bothered to learn driving because she knows wherever she goes in India, autos are there for her rescue.

Besides autorickshaws, in bigger cities you get to see buses/trains running around. The importance given to public transportation is the best thing I like about my country. I do agree that its not always a pleasent experience using these facilites, but this is overshadowed by the fact that it helps umpteen number of people to travel around without worrying about owning a vehicle which could've burnt a hole in their pockets.

I was so used to this kind of easy and inexpensive mode of transportation that I was frustrated during my first year of stay in Unites States. It was literally a 'house arrest' because I didnot know how to drive. Only after landing in this country, I realized one must know driving just like how you learn alphabet. I have observed that some thickly populated cities have good public transport facility but what about the people living in suburbs or towns? No choice....either ask for help from a friend or buy your own car!

I feel US must give lot of importance for providing public transport in all parts of the country and encourage more and more people to use it. Besides the fact that people miss their 'personal space' or many other reasons, it does have plenty of advantages. First of all, when 20 people travel in a bus rather than using 20 cars to reach the same destination, think of gallons of gas that could be saved and ofcourse the reduction in pollution. It helps people to be stressfree because once you are in, its the driver's responsiblity to drive you safely to your destination while you can sit and relax, enjoy a coffee....read a book...or just go to sleep! Finally, the money you can save on buying cars for each one in the family is noteworthy.

Well....am glad to read some articles which says many Americans favor public transportation. Can the government be more proactive about this?