Going my way?

I take a bus to work every day. As the buses drive down the street they yell out destinations of interest they will be passing along their routes. Depending on where you are standing they may or may not stop, so it is up to you to signal interest by flagging them down with your hands.

There are three different sizes of buses on the streets and they compete with each other to arrive at the stops first. In other words they do plenty of diving across traffic and cutting each other off.

Recently, in  2010 Lima opened the “Metropolitano” bus system that boasts a dedicated transitway, which means it doesn’t compete with traffic. Sounds ideal, no?

I got the chance to take the infamous Metropolitano at rush hour the other day. It didn’t take long for a bus to pull up and I’m thinking, great service! As it got closer I noticed that it was full. And I mean very full. The bus comes to a stop, the bus doors open, the barrier to the platform opens and those of us on the platform are looking in at the mass of bodies trying to decide if it is worth it to get on and desperately hoping that this is someone’s stop. But nobody gets off… and nobody gets on…. And the bus drives away!

The next bus pulls up. It is also completely stuffed. The doors open, everyone on the bus looks off into the distance at the same time that all of us on the platform are staring intently into the bus, desperately trying to imagine a body sized space exists in front of us. But nobody gets off and nobody gets on. And, of course, the bus continues along its route!

At this point I’m starting to feel like I’m in a children’s book, or maybe an existential play, where repetition is the the comedic device. I kid you not, 5 full buses drove away while I waited.

Getting on the bus during rush hour seems to be a matter of increasing your level of frustration to the point where you can will yourself to bend space and squeeze yourself on.