Buses

[Conorworld]

The buses in BA really are the workhorses of the city. They may not be adequate for people coming from Europe or North America but I suppose they don't get as much continuous, dedicated and large funding as in Europe or America. But what they do and how often they do it they deserve a lot of credit. They are noisy but I think in central BA they are only part of the general cacophany of sound there is to be found. Some people get used to it and some people don't I suppose.

 

[sergio]

Fedec I agree with what you have written but I would add that bus service could be maintained at its current level without fare increases AND made quieter and cleaner if the government spent tax money more wisely. Some of the buses are relatively new but they are nevertheless serious polluters and horribly noisy. Would it have cost so much more to have bought better buses in the first place? And shouldn't this have been a priority worthy of increased subsidy? Over the past few years the government has been throwing its money all over the place in subsidies but certainly not on cleaner, quieter buses!

About public transport in the US: In many US cities, especially in places like LA where the car is king, public transport is largely used by poor people. This is NOT the case in New York City. I've taken the subway at Lincoln Center station and seen men in dinner jackets and women in evening gowns. The same goes for the buses: you can see women in mink coats. Everyone uses public transport in New York where the car is NOT king. What's more, New York has the MOST EXTENSIVE subway system in the world, far better than anything than BA, so one can get from A to B rapidly by subway. There is a lot of public transport in BA because the economy does not allow so many people to own cars. Almost all Americans own one or more cars and tend to use them instead of public transport except for certain major cities like New York and to a lesser extent Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago among others.

The theme here was the need for clean and less polluting buses. I think this can be achieved in BA and should be achieved. It's really irrelevant what the transit systems of Seattle or other foreign cities are like.

 

[steveinbsas]

I must say that the buses in Buenos Aires are among the worst Ive ever seen. The pollution and the noise are hard to believe. Are they inspected at all? Is it true that the mayor´s father owns many of the bus lines and this is why he can get away with waking me up throughout the night with such noise? And Im glad summer is over. I tried to explain to a few locals that back home we enjoy air conditioned buses around the city. They looked at me like it was science fiction.

Sometimes I can hardly see across the street, the pollution at street level is so thick. Cant anything be done about it? Dont the locals care at all? Should we be bringing out children here at all?

Notice: this thread was started by a newcomer (just less than three years ago I was one, too).

Nonetheless, the best four words I ever read on this forum were "YOU AREN'T HOME ANYMORE"

Sure, buses with great mufflers run on bio diesel would be great but it isn't about to happen. Just try to imagine BA without the buses...at fares the "locals" could not afford in order to pay for "green" technology.

Todd, You just arrived? Just relax and adapt...if you can.

Please don't tell the locals how much better it is "back home" in the USA (where not all buses are air conditioned). They don't appreciate the superior attitude. You may not have been here long enough to realize it. Just trust me on this one.

Life in BA is great...if you don' let the fumes get to you (and stay off the soap box).

 

[Davidglen77]

Amen steveinbsas.......I couldn't have replied more elegantly myself!! The truth is, every city in the world can make some improvements to it's infrastructure, fiscal state, transportation network, etc. There are much more serious problems that need to be dealt with here and in other places for people to be fixated on the buses which are one of the most accessible systems in the city.

 

[sergio]

Steve, I agree that things are different here and there is not always a lot of sense in comparing however those of us who LIVE here "permanently" and who have lived here for many YEARS would like to see some improvements, just like native born Argenttines. We don't necessarily think the status quo is fine. What is wrong with recommending improvements, with working to make things better? Do you advocate the continuation of malnutrition and starvation just because it is the norm in some parts of the world? We, as permanent residents or long term residents here, have a right to our opinions and a right to try to make things better. Pollution and excessive noise are bad anywhere.

 

[KatharineAnn]

I agree that air conditioned buses is something you just can´t expect in Argentina, especially considering many, many places in the city don´t have air conditioning. It truly is a luxury, although many americans take it for granted so much because it´s just simply been there.

I also agree with sergio that something could be done about the noise and pollution produced by the buses, and the problem is something I see very clearly and personally every day. I live on the plaza miserere, aka once, which, conveniently, is the hub of at least 25 bus lines. However, inconveniently, they all pass by my apartment at every hour. I cannot watch TV unless it is on maximum volume. During rush hour I cannot talk on the phone. If you open the window, you cannot even talk to the person sitting next to you. I DO think this is a problem, and it is something that can be reduced. (Particularly because the buses only pass by my apartment because of the Cromañon incident, they cut off the avenue where the bus lines passed, so now they all go down my back street - which is NOT an avenue, and is NOT meant to support this kind of bus traffic.

Anyhow all complaints aside, I have never lived in a big US city so luckily I can´t make these frustating comparisons. I am from Cleveland and in cleveland using the bus is like being on welfare, so for me, this bus system is infinitely better and is very convenient. And you must admit that it is very cheap to travel here. In the US you can spend easily a HUGE chunk of your salary on transport. I spend less than 10% of mine here on transport, and that´s considering that I don´t even work full time. I could never say that when I lived in the US.

 

[citygirl]

A bit off topic but I do love the random charging on the bus these days! For the life of me, I can't figure it out. I took the bus (115 I think) from my apt to the Citibank on Las Heras. 1.20 going. Took the bus back (same line) from the exact same start/stop point and it was 1.10.

I've also paid 1.25. Basically - I think it's more or less at the whim of the driver these days with the new system

 

[Moxon]

. Basically - I think it's more or less at the whim of the driver these days with the new system

Agreed, can anyone shed light on this? I was starting to formulate a theory that the fare increases as the total distance the bus has travelled increases, regardless of the length of the passenger's route. This seemed to work for a while but has now been blown out of the water many times and so I'm now going for the random whim of the driver theory.

 

[Neil]

Seldom am I asked , just in case I can reply w/ a street.... This works for me...!

 

[jp]

Once you get the hang of the bus system, its pretty great. You can get from anywhere to anywhere for very little money, the service is regular and pretty reliable. Interiors are generally clean and comfortable, and the exteriors are unique, hand painted, iconic and genuinely add something to the appearance of the city.

The filthy black clouds that belch out the back while they crawl through single file streets in peak hours... well thats not so great. They are also responsible for the moneda shortage in the city.

So, like pretty much every thing else in buenos aires - their are ups and downs. All things considered I'd rather get a cheap, regular and reliable bus service and feel safe getting home, and put up with a bit of filth. Someone got stabbed to death on my local bus route in london for daring complain about someone throwing chips at his head. Sitting amongst puddles of urine, vomit and assorted nutters is fairly common in cities all over the first world. Not something I miss...