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Long time coming
Mar. 11th, 2002 09:11 pmTrain strike today. Not content with a no overtime ban for the last couple of months (I was stunned to discover that the railways depend on people working overtime just to cope with everyday workloads), they're now striking completely for 4 (slightly spread out) days.
So, no trains today at all, so I thought "No problem, I'll get a bus." It's only 30 miles after all, how hard can it be to get a bus? So I checked the bus website and discovered that there was one that would take only 10 minutes longer than the trains do, and leaves at 7:30, the same time as my train.
So I wander down at 7:20 this morning, that be the time I leave for the 7:30 train, and arrive at 7:28, at which point I discover my first mistake - you can't just wander onto a bus like you can a train. You have to go and buy a ticket at the office first. And they clearly aren't expecting more people just because of the train strike, because I'm extremely lucky and get the last ticket for the 7:30 bus, leaving a very frustrated businessman behind me, having to wait for the 8:30 instead. I get a return ticket because, hey, I'm coming back, right?
Well, kinda. When I go to get a bus back, I discover that unlike with trains, you can't use a ticket from one company with another one. So my return ticked is useless unless I want to wait 25 minutes for a citylink coach rather than go with Firstbus. Which, I later discover, is what I should have done in the first place, as the Firstbus route takes an hour and a half, and takes me through every small village in between Stirling and Glasgow.
I arrive home knackered and in a terrible mood. Ethically speaking I'm completely pro public transport. But if they make it this hard then I'm buying a fucking car.
So, no trains today at all, so I thought "No problem, I'll get a bus." It's only 30 miles after all, how hard can it be to get a bus? So I checked the bus website and discovered that there was one that would take only 10 minutes longer than the trains do, and leaves at 7:30, the same time as my train.
So I wander down at 7:20 this morning, that be the time I leave for the 7:30 train, and arrive at 7:28, at which point I discover my first mistake - you can't just wander onto a bus like you can a train. You have to go and buy a ticket at the office first. And they clearly aren't expecting more people just because of the train strike, because I'm extremely lucky and get the last ticket for the 7:30 bus, leaving a very frustrated businessman behind me, having to wait for the 8:30 instead. I get a return ticket because, hey, I'm coming back, right?
Well, kinda. When I go to get a bus back, I discover that unlike with trains, you can't use a ticket from one company with another one. So my return ticked is useless unless I want to wait 25 minutes for a citylink coach rather than go with Firstbus. Which, I later discover, is what I should have done in the first place, as the Firstbus route takes an hour and a half, and takes me through every small village in between Stirling and Glasgow.
I arrive home knackered and in a terrible mood. Ethically speaking I'm completely pro public transport. But if they make it this hard then I'm buying a fucking car.
