My house is far enough away from the University, that I can ride the bus. My house is also close enough to the University that I can walk. This shouldn't be a dilemma for a guy like me. I can wait for the bus or I can walk. In fact, there are two busses that both go right past my house straight to the University of Calgary. However, they both come every half hour. First one, then 10 minutes later the other, then another 20 minutes and the next bus arrives. This is the dilemma, I don’t know how much time has passed since the last bus has come and gone, and it is only a 15-minute walk to the university. One might suggest that I simply walk along the bus route and get picked up at the next stop. Apparently this is a common thought because Calgary Transit has made sure that these two buses don’t duplicate too much of the same route. Therefore the bus that comes first turns off at the corner before the next stop does a one block jog east then joins back up to the same route 2 blocks north.

You may have correctly guessed that I have decide to walk the last few trips and paid the price for my impatience. It seems as if the bus is at least 3 or 4 minutes faster 90% of the time, unless I just barely miss the second bus in which case it is about 1 or 2 minutes faster to walk.