Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I was leaving school with a friend yesterday evening. On the way to the bus stop, he enlightened me on the bus timings informer which works in such a way that all you have to do is to sms the bus number and bus stop code to the service provider. After which, a reply would be sent to you, informing you about the time the bus would take to arrive at the bus stop.
According to him, this gives people a fake sense of control. Even though the buses still come at an already planned timing, the service (for bus timings, not the buses) now gives people a sense of purpose or knowledge when waiting for buses. While in the past, it was "sigh.. I have been waiting for this long, I wonder when the bus is going to arrive", now it is "I have already waiting for xxx minutes, the bus will arrive in another yyy minutes".
In addition, it also gives him (my friend) the power to make a choice as to which bus to take. For example, he can now know if he should wait for the next bus 75 (which may arrive in less than 5 mins) to get home or board the 184 that has already arrived. Taking bus 75 would mean a shorter walk for him back home.
With all its advantages, my friend and I ended up waiting for about 20 mins for a bus that was meant to arrive in 12 mins. We waited for another 10 mins for the same bus which was meant to be arriving.
The Origin. 10/22/2008 11:26:00 am
