[aborsy]

Unfortunately public transportation can be miserable. Homeless will ruin the experience (see how Paris metro and bus stops often smell). It can be dirty, smelly, congested, unreliable, taken hostage by unions that demand unjustified never-ending benefits, not well available outside densely populated areas (even though you pay for it in tax), time consuming (connecting several trains buses back to back in a day), you may share with lots of crazies, etc.

I wasted a lot of time and got burned out in the public transportation system.

But the experience was better in some cities, eg, in German ones.

[InCityDreams]

>taken hostage by unions that demand unjustified never-ending benefits,

Do you have any actual examples?

[aborsy]

Famously France, the topic of the article!

Unions are powerful and perennially on strike: unsustainable retirement benefits (the topic of the last major strike), income, etc. The income of an unskilled transportation worker is similar to, or even better than, that of a scientist (see CNRS salaries online); the benefits are significant too.

[Glawen]

Based on your answer I believe you are french and you never spent significant time in Germany to appreciate German efficiency. During my stay in Germany (6 years), I had to endure a strike on local public transportation every 6 months, combined with a strike of cockpit Union (airplane pilots) every 3 months because they wanted to take control of negotiation. On the other hand there was absolutely nothing going on in France.

And when Germany strikes, it is tough. The whole city took their cars, leading to never ending traffic jam. You were faster by bike than by car.