This was my first time returning to the United States in 13 years, and I had to get by without a car because my drivers’ license expired. Therefore, the theme of this trip was “America on Foot.” In both Los Angeles and Portland, I relied on public transportation for my tours. I thought I would have to call uber a lot, but it turned out that I only called Uber once (not counting the trips back and forth the LAX).

It is no news that Los Angeles is especially un-user-friendly when it comes to public transportation. I went to high school in Los Angeles and in the years that I lived there, I had never taken public transportation, not even once. The reason being that public transportation runs rather sparse schedules in LA (there is simply not a general reliance on public transportation, therefore, not much demand to support frequency).

Also, Los Angeles is a vast expanse of city and suburban development. At best, a given bus stop can only take you so close to the final destination. And then there is the prejudice against those folks that have to rely on public transportation. In a place like Los Angeles, it is a fact that public transportation takes the poorest of people around, very much unlike New York City. The prejudice is that “public transportation is not safe because only the beggars, DUI and homeless take buses.”

But when the same trip costs $25 on Uber, and $2 on buses, it is a matter of math to resort to public transportation. Being the way that I am (I tend to travel solo to any destination in the world, and very often in Asia), I would of course opt for the buses. The first time was, “let’s see, be cautious,” then after the first time it was, “hey, not bad, let’s do it again.” By the time I got to Portland, I didn’t even think twice about my options, “certainly buses and light rail.”

Some Observations to Note

Contrary to my impression, the public transportation system in both Los Angeles and Portland run frequently and they are very time efficient. In Los Angeles, the buses that went inter-city between Long Beach and San Pedro came every 15 minutes or so. Google’s bus schedule was also incredibly accruate. In Portland, Google’s bus schedule was also very reliable.

Now, would I recommend any common tourist to do buses in LA and Portland? My answer is no, especially given that I have a lot of Hong Kong readers, who are likely to be able to afford renting a proper car. I think it is an adventure in itself to navigate the public transportation systems in LA and Portland, but unless you have the guts that I do (you know what my guts are, when it comes down to traveling, if you read my blog), I do not recommend taking public transportation in Los Angeles and Portland.

In Los Angeles, I noticed that I appeared to be dressed a notch better than fellow bus riders. I was a little out of place in the crowd, besides the fact that I was obviously clueless (in every trip I had to ask how much). I also did notice that there were homeless people on the buses, and not just a few. My issue was not the possibility of being robbed or harmed, because the bus drivers that I encountered were all sensible people, they appeared to be ready and able to handle that type of situation well.

My issue was simply that it felt icky to have to sit close to people who likely have not showered for a long time. Or otherwise sit at a spot that was previously occupied by people who haven’t showered for a long time. When I returned to my hotel, I put away all the clothes that I had worn on the buses and did not wear them again until I did laundry.

My friends, who are LA natives, told me how brave it was that I chose to do public transportation. He himself had his new iphone robbed once on the light rail in Long Beach. He had never touched the public system since. I certainly appreciated the point. Let’s be real, there are known dangers. So, if you were really going to do the bus, the caution would be not to do it late at night, and do not show your priced belongings at all. If anyone accosts you, avoid the person, or even get off the bus right away. These are common sense measures to protect yourself.

Now, in Portland, I noticed that generally the crowd was a bit better dressed than the public-bus-taking folks in LA. There were some homeless people on the light rail and buses in Portland, but perhaps the vibe was slightly less hopeless than the LA buses. I myself did encounter an incident at the Gateway Transit Center, when I was visiting the Multnomah Falls by the bus. There was a certain someone that was causing a scene, and when he sat at a nearby bench at the station, the staff there indicated to me that I had better get up and leave.

But there was no incident at all where I felt threatened. And I enjoyed my rides, when it did not feel dirty.

Whether I would do the same again is another question. Good experience, however.

Here’s to Los Angeles and Portland for their wonderful hospitality. Until next time.