Bus vs train for the same route, train won by 12 minutes. Am I missing something?

I take the 42 bus or the Red Line to get to work downtown, same start and end points. Last week I timed both for 5 days straight. Train averaged 28 minutes, bus averaged 40. That's 12 minutes each way, 2 hours a week just gone on the bus. But the bus stops right outside my apartment and the train station is a 10 minute walk. So the bus is more convenient but slower. Train is faster but I have to walk in rain or snow. I feel like people who swear by the bus are all about the door to door thing, and train people just want to get there. Which matters more to you, time or comfort? Or is there a third option I'm not seeing?

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1 Comment

matthewsullivan21d ago

Funny, most people see 12 minutes and stop counting. But you're also forgetting that walking to the train station isn't just 10 minutes, it's 10 minutes each way on top of the ride, so the real gap is more like 8 minutes. And that's on dry days. When it's pouring or the sidewalk is ice, that 10 minute walk turns into 15 and you show up wet and annoyed. Then you get on a crowded train and stand the whole way, while the bus probably has seats and you can zone out or read. Time matters, sure, but so does not being miserable before 9am. Maybe the bus people just value their sanity over a few minutes.