Connecticut (CT) is a small state situated on the Atlantic coast in the New England region of America. Anybody who lives here knows that, despite it being largely a suburb of the greater New York City metropolitan area, the transportation ‘system’ is weak. Bus service is limited and the schedule is unreliable. The ‘identified’ bus stops are ridiculous. And the buses do not go out into every area.
Buses only run every hour to half hour during weekdays. It is even worse when they come every other hour on the half-hour on weekends. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the hours and minutes scheduled. If you miss the bus, then good luck to you, you will have to wait another hour until the next one. At times, even when you are ready and waiting the only bus zooms right by you.
If you are not lucky enough to live in a major city in CT, then the bus that goes out to your town or small city stops running in the evening by 6 PM. It is the most inconvenient time ever. If you miss that bus, then you are forced to hitch a ride or catch a taxi. And who can afford a taxi every day?
Not knowing where the bus stops are plays a huge role in missing the bus. The bus stops have bus stop signs only in the cities. If you live outside one of these areas then you must guess where the buses might stop. And, considering that CT is mostly made up of small towns and villages, this is no small thing. There are alien symbols, i.e. poles or trees with a white paint stipe around them. One is supposed to surmise that this fading, poorly exhibited, painting is a bus stop. Now, if you are just moving into the area, how would one know that is a symbol for a bus stop? I did not find out that it was a mark for a bus stop until I looked in the corner of a bus schedule, where it tells you that that means it is a bus stop.
Now I do not know if said stripes are incident to poor funding, but there are only about two official bus stop signs in my town. The rest are these trees and poles with a white mark. It is more of a hit and miss situation to find out if you are standing at the right place (as I learned the hard way when the only bus in a 2 hour stretch limped right past me).
The bus only takes you so-far anyway. I do not know who came up with this system, but did they not think that somebody living in the smaller towns is out longer than six o’clock? Perhaps one may hold a job or take a class later than 6PM?
It is just a vast difference, after coming from the Washington D.C. area, where buses ran like clockwork, every 15 minutes and had incredible coverage into 3 metro areas. There was also the option of the metro train system if one would miss the bus. After experiencing the “thrills” of the Connecticut transit system, I am obliged to start the process toward getting my drivers’ license. Although, that would mean to trek out to Waterbury, on the bus.