Not Fare

Today I went to Liverpool Westfields with my mum and sister and we had to catch public transport because our car is still out of action. The insurance company still hasn't made a decision as to whether they will compensate us or fix up our car. Anyway, turns out that we spent $20 on our bus and train fares!! That's freaking crazy. How does a continual rise in the cost of public transport encourage people to use the services provided? The government and environmentalists are always telling us to leave our cars at home and use public transport because it reduces our carbon footprint. Yes it does reduce our collective impact on the environment but that's not the only thing that is reduced... I'm not being a cheap Asian, I'm just trying to see reason. How can they expect us to want to use public transport when buses and trains are almost always late, sometimes even delayed for several hours? In addition to the government's obvious lack of timing, the peak hour congestion on a train is seemingly on par with peak hour traffic in a car. Except that in the comfort of your car, you have a respectable boundary between you and the next Sydney commuter. Whereas on a train, that is definitely not the case. I hate getting on a train that is already beyond packed and you have no choice but to rub up against a stinky laborer coming home from the job. It's too close and tight for my liking. Does this make me claustrophobic? Wow, off topic much?! I forgot what this was even about...