h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's what they're called in the US, sometimes. And sometimes passengers. You don't so much take or catch the bus here, you ride the bus. Two countries, single language, separated by, doncha know.

Better than the cringe-making 'customers' that so many British train and bus operators seem to have latched onto in recent years thanks to corporate influence

I think CapMetro is still way ahead of Houston Metro. There was some news about Houston's bus lines this week. I believe I heard them announce a "new" feature of getting bus arrival times via txt is going to roll out soon. Other big news was something about train/bus transfers would now be "free"(included with ticket) and last for 3 hours.

I've never used Houston's Metro services and I wouldn't know where to start if I needed to. Public transportation intimidates me.

Unless you meant what's wrong with the passengers on Austin's buses, in which case THEY'RE A BUNCH OF NUMBSKULLS WHO SHOULDN'T BE LET OUT OF DOORS IN CHARGE OF ANYTHING MORE COMPLICATED THAN A RUBBER BALL ON A PIECE OF STRING, AND EVEN THEN THEY'D STILL MANAGE TO GIVE THEMSELVES A BLACK EYE!

I started following someone on Twotter called CapMetroBlues: "How does #CapMetroATX fail thee? Help me count the ways."

He (for it is a he, I've surmised) doesn't seem to have very much to say about them though

" THEY'RE A BUNCH OF NUMBSKULLS WHO SHOULDN'T BE LET OUT OF DOORS IN CHARGE OF ANYTHING MORE COMPLICATED THAN A RUBBER BALL ON A PIECE OF STRING...."

Don't be bashful. Tell us what you really think.

Well, they've done me again.

Despite Cap Metro, and the idiots who use the buses, making my commuting life a misery, and despite Sunday morning being the most busless time of the entire schedule, I actually had a great journey to work each Sunday. It started a little earlier than I preferred (every other working day I clock in half an hour later), but there are very few people on the bus at that time of the day - definitely a Good Thing - and my transfer window was a comfortable ten minutes. Until last week, that is.

I got to the stop where I change buses at the usual time (with the usual driver - you'll understand why that's important in a moment or two), but instead of the ten-minute wait, my second bus showed up within a minute or two When I checked the timetable I saw that it had been shifted up by ten minutes, and my wait for a bus is now two minutes.

That sounds great, doesn't it.

This week I got on my first bus (which showed up a few minutes later than usual), and it was a different driver (rotating the drivers is something they do three or four times a year). The usual driver used to put her foot down between the designated time points along the route and then we'd have to sit there waiting until it was time to continue. A bit frustrating, but at least I knew I'd always be at my transfer stop on time. But the new driver is one of those who likes to crawl along at 25mph, waits several beats at each stop before closing the doors and then a few more before moving off, and tries to catch green lights on red by slowing down for them!

I made my transfer yesterday but it was a close thing - 30 seconds. One extra red light on the first bus and I'd have missed it. And had to wait 25 minutes for the next one. And been late for work.

And did they tell us about these changes? Well, yes, but you had to dig for it, and not until a week before it happened And 'minor adjustment' is how they describe it. It's not minor for anyone trying to get to work on a Sunday morning

Does this leave you wishing for jetpack technology?

A flying car would be nice.

How about a hovercraft, preferably one without eels in it?

http://youtu.be/Wmnn2DMqVMU

Um, I can't tell whether there are wheels on that flying car, but if there are, why would they be needed?

I'm fairly certain that video isn't what it appears to be. At best it might be actual video of a scale model.

Probably a computer

simulation, but certainly looks good.

Well, the simple fact is we do have flying cars. They're called helicopters.

What we don't have is market saturation of personal aircraft at the level of our cars.
Considering all the legal issues popping up with private drones, I really doubt we'll ever see the airways clogged up with private vehicles.

Certainly could cause problems.

Freeway stunts like something from the era of the barnstormers, flying cars looping the loop through cloverleaf freeway interchanges as occassionally illustrated in sci fi cover art could produced serious safety problems, as passing by means of taking off and flying over vehicles ahead might.

I saw very funny XKCD in which cloverleaf interchanges looped back into each other, trapping the motorists forever.

http://xkcd.com/253/

Yes, that's the one. Good job!

Lewis Carrol did a cartoon once of a park maze in which by means of a single bridge overpassing the path, he made it impossible to solve the maze by means of hand-on-the-left-wall technique.