This morning as I walked to the usual bus stop to begin my commute, the LED information board indicated the next bus would not arrive for another half hour. In the scant two months since I’ve started taking public transit to work, it's the first time there was such a severe discrepancy. More than a few drivers must have called in sick today, as SFMTA drivers are wont to do.
Normally I would simply wait it out and kept on listening to my podcasts. However today I was tasked to open up shop at work, so punctuality was absolutely paramount. A 30 minutes late bus would have been detrimental, so out came the iPhone and an UBER was called.
Is it politically correct these days to hail an UBER car, what with the company's problems of diversity and sexual harassment? Should I have gone with Lyft instead? Probably, but alas convenience trumps virtue-signaling propensities; I'm familiar with UBER and have yet to set up an account with Lyft.
Those Bird electric scooters everybody in San Francisco is talking about and using haven’t gotten to our “poor” neighborhood just yet, if ever.
I fully understand the various negative externalities emanating from the advent of ride-sharing, so let's focus on the positives! It is such a relief and convenience to be able to quickly hail a car in case of emergencies like today. I can remember back in high school, way before ride-share and smartphones, if a bus was late there was no option but to keep standing at the stop until it comes. Now I can call an UBER. I mean Lyft.
The events this morning reinforced my belief that public transportation supplemented with ride-sharing is the best option to commute in a major city. I see no practical need to own a car unless you've got young kids.
Not sure if dungeon in hell or the first floor of the campus Administration building.