me and public transportation are not friends. a chinatown bus ride to ny took 7.5+ hours instead of 4 because the bus died an hour into the trip. the ride back to boston was either booked or cancelled (you never quite know whats goin on when you ride the chinatown bus..) and then when i finally got onto a much later bus, traffic caused a 1 hour delay. the train that brought my girlfriend to boston was delayed by an hour and a half due to light rain. my flight to dc was delayed by an hour and the airport convenient store closed just as i decided to buy something to feed my empty stomach. today my 25 minute commute home from work took an hour.

there has to be a better way to travel.

alright i just thought about it for a while and i dont think there is. over 6000 years of innovation in technology and operations has led us to a point where we have to accept the fact that when we travel by air, rail, or bus we have to plan for ridiculous random/unscheduled/unforeseen delays and inconveniences. something needs to be done!

remember back in the day when dominos pizza had the 30 minute delivery guarantee? that was brilliant. they set the standard for delivery pizza. they owned the delivery pizza market, and everybody loved them.

maybe airlines, buses, and trains could incorporate some sort of minimal delay guarantee, just like dominos. if the departure is over 30 minutes late, the ticket is free. this would motivate transportation companies to put more effort into time management, improve customer satisfaction, and make the world a better place. families would see their working fathers come home on time. leisure travelers would begin their vacations in high spirits. business travelers would spend more time being productive.

(vote for phil, for a better transportation system in america!)