Public transport

Is it just me or is it actually becoming more fun to use public transport in Helsinki? I might be wrong, but people seem much more relaxed, in a better mood and friendly nowadays in buses, trams and the metro. Of course there's always the obligatory guy who screams at the driver to open the f**king doors (funny, you'd think Finnish people know some things just don't work as quickly when it's -20) or the ever-charming drunk who makes passes at visibly distressed young women (try trams 8 or 3T for such an experience).

However, I have to say that even the drivers seem much friendlier - from greeting passengers to waiting for the alarmed mother with children and shoppings in tow, running as fast as she can to reach the front door of the bus. It also doesn't feel anymore like laughing out loud or saying something in trams causes stares which surely only alien creatures deserve.

It can also be that I'm imagining things, but today I felt like just sitting in the tram without the need to isolate myself from the surrounding environment by plugging into my iPod or browsing through my calendar, another favourite pastime in public transport. And believe me, getting on the right tram in the morning can make or break a day!

On average, I use trams three times a day, the metro every other day, buses inside Helsinki every other day and buses to Espoo/inside Espoo three times a week (Monday). For trivia buffs: the longest single trip for me is the half-hour trip from Kamppi to Laajalahti every Monday.

However, if public transport is improving in friendliness and customer service, it's certainly making up by completely neglecting the state of the buses. Especially buses to and from Espoo are in an appalling state right now, and I'd like to know just how often they are cleaned from the outside! Of course it gives a certain mysteriously pleasant atmosphere to travel in a black box, but when travelling somewhere where I'm not so sure where to get out, I like to be able to look out the window and see where we are!

Rio Pastaza, Ecuador, 28.12.2005