The reason why I started coming in the COMPANY bus was rather simple.
I was getting too tired of driving at the end of a long day. The tension and the traffic, were too much to deal with, towards the end of the day.
The use of local trains or buses was ruled out promptly, as I do not fancy myself as a Sardine.
Really, the inhumanity in the trains and buses is pathetic. This is what we have reduced ourselves to, after so much of evolution – nature’s last word, indeed. It actually hurts one’s human pride every time you ride in one of these contraptions – PETA would have cried foul if you tried to pack so many animals into such a tight space!! And yet, we Mumbaikars proudly subject ourselves to this inhumanity every day.
Autos meant inhaling direct exhaust from the trucks and buses, and your eyes burn and your hair get dusty. Plus, i am kind of chicken when it comes to riding an auto.
So the company bus was the only remaining choice. Once I started riding the company bus, I slowly started realizing the joys of riding a decent public transport (BEST is not a decent means of transport)!
1. By using the COMPANY bus, the direct pains of driving are all gone.
2. The economies of going by the COMPANY bus alone would be reason enough to start using the bus. I was spending close to Rs. 6,000 a month while commuting by the car. Coming by the bus, I save Rs. 5,000 monthly !!
3. The timing is a lot more stabilized when I use the bus. I can be more disciplined in my hours. There would always be exceptions, but that can be handled rather easily using autos or even BEST bus.
4. I am now getting back in touch with nature, which is rather gratifying and soothing.
- I am able to observe the greenery that I was hitherto unaware of / that I had forgotten existed. The lush green view of the Aarey Milk colony from the Aarey flyover is something to be experienced. The greens appeal to something very basic in our nature. I think ever since we trapped ourselves in our concrete cages – which we call apartments, our hearts have craved all the more to go back to the greens. So it’s tantalizing and satisfying all at once, this sojourn with nature - almost like the meeting of long lost lovers.
- Once you come to the JVLR, there is a stretch where you can see the greens once again – complete with a mountain in the distance.
- Next, once you hit Powai, you observe Powai lake in all its glamour – again, beset by hills along the edges of the lake. You can actually see the lake longer than expected, and there are several nice palm trees lining the lakeshore.
5. I get more time to read – newspapers, fiction, non-fiction(business) books. I was able to go thru several papers (I read only selective articles) - the Economic Times, The Hindustan Times, and Mumbai Mirror in the 1-hour journey.
