This is something Irish and I noticed right away when we arrived in Canada. Families don’t use transit. It’s strange. Since coming back to Canada, I have seen 1 family using transit, just one. And the father told me that their car was in the shop being repaired, and that was why. I have seen teenagers using transit, daycares and summer camps using transit, but not families.

So why does this surprise, you ask. Well I have gotten so used to the idea that everyone uses transit, which is the way it is in Korea, China, Japan, and the Philippines. Even if they have a car, most people in Korea use the bus & subway because of traffic or gas prices. You will see rich looking people, poor looking people, construction workers, and street merchants with their wares in a big bundle. Priests use the transit, students & families do too. In fact there is no School bus system, students that live far from their school need to take public transit, and they get there safe.

In China only people who have expensive cars drive them all the time. Transit is still the preferred way to go for people with economy class cars or similar. You still have students using transit to get to school, because unless you go to a private school, there is no school bus. Farmers carry their crops around on busses, merchants carry their wares on busses, and about 80% of the families use public transit.

One thing I think is a wonderful idea we should have adopted years ago in Canada is: at each and every bus stop, it has a list of the buses that stop there, and a basic route map for each of those buses. At the bus stop you can see (If you can read the local language) exactly where every bus goes from that stop. No need to look online (Unless you can’t read), or phone in to ask.

Japan has the oddest transit system I have ever encountered, but it works for them. When you get on a bus, you don’t pay, however you get a ticket. When you get off the bus you pay. This is because there is no general fare. You pay a certain amount for each stop you have traveled. So if you get on for 2 stops it is much cheaper than staying on the bus for 15 stops. The Japanese Subway is a similar thing, there is a different price for each station you want to go to. And if you need to transfer, there is a chance you have to get out and buy a different ticket (If the transferring line is a different transit company). Despite this odd paying system a lot of families use transit.

Japan also has women’s buses, these are buses with female drivers, and only women may travel on them. This was the Japanese response to the reality that a lot of women were being assaulted on busy busses, where it was too crowded to get away from the attacker.

In the Philippines most people cannot afford a car, and so many people take public transit, which comes in many different shapes and sizes. They have “tricycles” which are motorbikes with a 4 seat side-car welded to it, there are jeepneys, which looks like an army personnel carrier with a hard top instead of a canvas top. And there are a few buses. People also travel public mini-vans. Now the Philippines is the only place I have been that every vehicle in the public transit system is privately owned. Jeepney drivers get a license for a certain route, they are told how much they are allowed to charge, but they keep the profits. Tricycles replace most taxis. Mini-vans (Adventures) replace intercity buses.

So moving back to Canada from a place that very few people drive their own car to a place where cars almost outnumber the people, is a very odd sensation and it has been difficult for us as a family to get around without feeling conscientious. I will be getting my international license while abroad this time so I do not have to start the graduated system again when we return. (2 times is enough).