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As an avid fan of public transport, I got thinking the other day about the reasons why that is so. The currently fashionable idea is that we do it for the environment. This is indeed a real plus, & stands alone as reason enough. But there’re so many more reasons why forgoing the car & hopping on a train, tram or bus is the way to ‘go’.

1. It is a better use of time: Driving time is wasted time. (Unless you’re one of those tragic people who says ‘I love driving’). Imagine how much better informed & alive we’re when we spend up to an hour reading, conversing with a pleasant stranger, or just sitting & observing the theatre of life. Instead of staring with dead eyes at the bumper of the car in front of us.

2. It is cheaper: For a mere $6 I can travel all day wherever I want, whenever I want. I can just step on & step off, knowing that once I’ve bought my ticket that is all I’ll spend all day. Try running a car (and fixing it, parking it?) for that little.

3. It is faster: With few exceptions, trains, trams & buses sail past stationary queues of traffic. Depending on your mass transit of choice, the presence of priority lanes & absence of traffic lights or congestion means that you pretty much skip rush hour & accident-related disruptions. Not to mention the time spent trawling around for a carpark.

4. It is closer to the community: This one is very much a matter of personal taste. And so… Some people love to shut out the world, & the people in it, & retreat to their glass & metal box. I’m the opposite. To quote Robert De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America, I like the stink of the streets. I think it’s good for your awareness & connection to the community to travel in the melting pot every day.

5. It is more peaceful: Commuting in a car is just so soul-destroying. Do you follow? The relentless drudgery of grinding up & down a freeway every day, knowing your life is wasting away, is matched in tragedy only by the pressure on your skull created by the aggressive, rude & irritating behaviour of our fellow driver. Nobody is immune to this. Bring up the subject of driver behaviour with anybody, then rapidly whip a blood pressure monitor around their arm & watch them blow the gauge. By comparison, there is a welcome predictability in public transport. Just sit back & let some one else worry about getting you there. Wake me when we get to my stop.

6. It is the right thing to do: One should not underestimate the wellbeing benefits of simply knowing that you’re doing your bit. Listen closely to somebody attempt to justify why they’re too lazy, busy, important or precious to take the train. There is rarely a sense of pride, a celebration of community spirit. More likely, just a stubborn assertion of their right to convenience & to do as they please. By contrast, making a choice which is aligned with our values & serves the public good fills us with good, clean energy.

Tim Cotter is a psychologist specializing in developing environmentally responsible behaviors. His consultancy, called Awake, gives workshops, on line assessment, consulting & advice for groups & organisations wishing to support people to operate more sustainably.

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