How I fell in love with London's public transport

"A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation" – Gustavo Petro.

In 2018-19, I spent 16 months in London while pursuing my Master's. I explored the city and the countryside during this period mainly by walking and through public transport—buses, trains, and shared bicycles.?

Although I come from a middle-class family in India, I never used a bus to commute in my city (Ahmedabad, India). Apart from my occasional travels to Mumbai and Delhi, I had never used local trains or metros for my daily commute. Instead, I rode a two-wheeler, and it was so convenient that even for a 700-meter ride, I would not walk. So in that sense, London was going to be an intense experience. I had read some facts about the city that said,?

"37% of Londoners use public transport, that is more than 3 million people; without it, the city would come to a halt."

In the first month, I lived in a small town outside London. On my first day of venturing out and taking a train, I didn't even know what was supposed to be done with the paper ticket! I stood there in front of the entry gate, trying to "tap" the paper ticket on the machine with impatient people behind me. An amused guard came along to guide me, "Madam, you need to insert the ticket in the gap you see THERE. You TAP a railcard, and INSERT the tickets." he said.

That was quite simple. It was simple enough to understand without exaggerated hand movements, but anyway. I inserted the ticket, and there it came out from the other side. The automatic barrier opened rather loudly, and I skipped a beat while running through them. I looked back and waved at the guard, and said, "Sorry! I arrived in this country just yesterday!" And he instantly replied, "No problem at all. You have a good time, Madam!"

I had heard that the London Underground service, aka the "tube," is the fastest way to commute in the city. It is now endearing to remember how petrified I used to be of this system. But that's one thing about London; you can't escape the tube! Every day, I would take one train, three tubes (underground speed trains), and one bus to reach the university. The travel time was 80 minutes, so I would leave at 7 am. By 9 am, I'd have walked about 4 km in total.

Although tubes can feel claustrophobic, and there is no network down there, you accept the reality of it after a while. Listening to the music is not a great idea because it's too loud inside. I used this time there to read books, and many readers were around. After a while, it became my way of getting book recommendations. If I saw a book more than thrice, I would take it as a "divine sign" and pick it up next!

Soon I shifted to London, and still, my best option was to take two buses and a tube to reach my university. No one ever asked me, "Why don't you get an Uber?" The discussions were always around which was the better bus or tube to take. I would sometimes skip a bus to save 2 pounds and walk 20 minutes to the tube station.

Everyone took a bus or a tube, whether my super-rich classmates or my seniors at my part-time job. It was convenient in terms of accessibility, speed, and cost. The first time I saw a bus stop for a disabled person, I was shocked. An automatic railing came out, and slowly he drove his wheelchair in the bus. Everyone made space for them in a dedicated section of the bus. No one even stared at him or showed impatience because of the apparent delay.

Some aspects of British courtesy were very intriguing. You may see bus and train drivers apologize for a delay of three minutes. I would think, "It's okay, man. My time isn't that valuable anyway!" I remember that my university bus had an unsaid culture of greeting the driver when getting on and off the bus in my university bus. It was very new for me initially! Every single person said "Hello" or "Good morning" when entering, and everyone said "Thank you" or "Good day" while leaving! An unsaid rule!

In London, all the public transport works cash-free. Like the metro stations in India, you can get these cards topped up with cash or credit/debit cards. The bus journeys have a special incentive. There is a pay-as-you-go adult fare of 1.55 pounds with a contactless payment card, and you make another bus or tram journey within an hour of touching in on a bus or tram; your second journey will be free!?

This tactic is a great way to incentivize people to take the bus. Despite this incentive, one has to admit that the London buses are very?slow?and with the unfortunate lack of funding, they are also becoming more infrequent.??

While in the tube station, you hear a lot of announcements. There are warnings to be careful on the escalators or while entering the doors. If you notice, there are a lot of unusual, funny ones like this one:

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen; we have an important announcement to make. It is Monday morning, and we assume things will be a little better if you wear your smiles to your destination. If you manage to do this until Wednesday evening, then remember, ONLY TWO DAYS TO GO!"?

Most people who'd hear such a thing would burst into a smile, but certain people still keep going on like zombies.

Inside or right outside the tube stations, you may see many talented artists (musicians, graffiti artists, dancers) performing for money and showcasing their talent. On the other hand, you also see many beggars and homeless people. And it's just heartbreaking to see them eat, sleep, sit there. After a while, you sadly get used to this as well. So, however divided by class, gender, and race; public transport brings British society together.

I feel like London was an entirely different world. I have to admit that I chose to come back to India, and I don't regret it one bit. I also don't intend to compare London's affluence and innovation versus poverty in urban Indian cities such as Mumbai. It won't be a fair or an accurate comparison. But I certainly want to question our intent of making a better public transport system. What bothers me is that having an excellent public transport system is not an aspiration in my country but buying great expensive cars is.?

?With COVID-19, public transport has suffered across the world, including London. Naturally, health & safety is a concern. But I like the awe-inspiring effort made by the Mayor every few days encouraging people to use public transport. Transport for London (TFL) has come up with a creative but straightforward tagline:

"Do more of what you love: Bus it. Train it. Tube it.”

In India, travelling via public transport in most urban cities is often inconvenient and still considered a poor person's choice. It is certainly not considered "cool." Here are some of the stats presented by?ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy):

"36.5 million people in India use a mode of?public transport?such as bus, train or tempo. Although this number is 10 million more than the population of Australia, it is a mere 18% of India's total population.?The national capital Delhi has about 6000 buses for a daily ridership of 4.3 million people."

That sounds insane! Beyond this, Covid-19 has successfully?dissuaded?urban commuters from using public transport. Several states are shifting to electric buses, but how fast is it? Another harsh reality is that the people who can't afford a private vehicle will have to take public transport despite all inconveniences. Those who can afford it will choose convenience over anything else. So then the goal must be to make public transport accessible, affordable and speedy.

As I begin my new job leading communications at the?Urban Works Institute, I am trying to unpack my insecurities about using public transport. Should I take my bike or should I walk? Should I book a cab or take the train? Today, I took the train. I believe every small step, every effort counts.?

(This article was first published on my website here. If you'd like to share something about this blog or my other work, please share in the comments below! I'd love to know.)