Monday, November 26, 2018

Thanks a Bunch

Riders of mass transit systems know about "bunching". No bus for many minutes; then two or more buses all at once; then another multi-minute wait. Fine. It's the big city, after all. Traffic jams are worse; which, of course, can contribute to transit bus bunching.

There's another kind of bunching, which is avoidable: buses that speed and tailgate a lead bus so they don't have to pick up riders. Same goes for streetcars. A few years ago I found myself standing beside a TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) inspector while I stirred my coffee in a King Street coffee shop. While chatting with the gentleman I mentioned this curious transit malady. He said: "(The drivers) are supposed to be self-governing." I asked if they all do. He just shook his head gently from side to side.

We think we might have bad bunching at times here in Toronto. As I read this morning in the Boston Globe, it's a big problem in that town.


2 comments:

Jon said...

Drivers call that "soaking" because you get up close behind the vehicle ahead of you, then sit back and relax while they soak up the riders. A driver who leaves ahead of schedule to catch up for that is called a "jumper".

Simon St. Laurent said...

Interesting!

This posting has gotten a lot of hits (by my standards). It's struck a nerve.