Will Phoenix ever really build a light rail system?
Will the San Diego trolley ever turn a profit?
These questions seem rediculously absurd here in Kinshasa. Mass transit here is really something to behold, and this is coming from someone who has been fortunate to travel around Africa a bit. They are using circa 1970’s VW vans that are tattered and worn and painted multiple colors. I asked Flory, HOPE’s driver here how they can keep these rickety old rigs on the road and he said that the mechanics here are geniuses. I believe it. We should get these guys working on a new space shuttle. They put about 20-30 people into each mini-bus and then there are other busses of all shapes and sizes that are filled to double-capacity. They even have people who work on commission at bus stops. When the van pulls up, they jump in and cram people around so that more riders can fit in. People even ride with their legs hanging out of the hatchback door on the back end of the VW, which has to be the hot seat on top of the engine. It’s a funny sight, a bus with legs coming out the back. But soon after I chuckle about it, I think about how horrible it must be when those VW’s are rear ended. But just then I see another funny looking bus with one headlight aimed up at the trees on the side of the road like a searchlight and both Flory and I have a good chuckle.
People always seem to be in motion. We build our societies that way and we make long commutes. Some of us even move far, far away from home.
(I hear Phoenix is finally building a rail system, but it’s pretty likely nobody will ever ride it.)
(The Trolley will never, ever make a profit in San Diego. It’s good for riding to ballgames, though.)
Do you think Mr. Roger’s trolley ever turned a profit? That’s real deep, I know…