Public transport crisis: Lessons from the USA struggles

A recording from the USA quickly became a hit on the internet. The video demonstrated, in the worst possible way, that public transportation in the States is practically nonexistent.

There is a lot of talk about transportation exclusion. The problem is increasingly affecting villages, small towns, and county cities. Buses are becoming more expensive, run less frequently, or are not available at all. On weekdays, transportation barely functions – on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, it is much worse. Even living in the so-called bedroom communities, being without a car feels like being without a hand. Alternatives include bicycles or electric scooters, but these are not easily accessible transportation options for everyone.

The train network is in better shape, although major cities are, of course, in a privileged position. The fact that it is practically impossible to travel from many places after 10 PM Eastern Time forces people using cultural offerings or—more realistically—those working in shifts to own a car. However, considering the state of public transport in the USA and Canada, it feels like a real paradise.

The USA is a vast country dominated by airports and highways. There are legends that cities are not designed for pedestrians, and travelling by train or bus is seen as a sad last resort. The concept of a walk is largely unknown.

On TikTok, on the teadove_hbb profile, a video was published showing a man in a car stopping at the sight of another man sitting on a curb. The guy has long hair, wears glasses, has a jacket on, and drinks almond milk from a carton. "How did you end up in this situation?" asks the man in the car. The one sitting on the sidewalk doesn't understand the question. When asked if he takes drugs, he denies it. "So why are you sitting on the sidewalk like this?" asks the driver. "Dude, I'm waiting for a bus," the man gets annoyed, pointing out a bus stop right next to him. There is, however, no shelter or even a bench for those waiting for the vehicle.

For the driver, it was an unusual sight. It is also worth noting that no one else was looking for transportation besides this one passenger. Internet users in the comments are harsh on the man in the car: "We need to stop minding other people's business." "‘How did you end up in this situation?’ when bro is literally chilling," "This is crazy, I would be so mad," "someone once gave me five dollars when I was waiting for an Uber in San Diego."