OK, so I’m getting a little tired of talking to myself. What happened to all the interesting comments? I know I have readers, and not just because the PI says so. You actually send me e-mail. I love the e-mail messages, but I’d also like to see my blog become more of a conversation than a monologue. I realize that some of my entries aren’t exactly conversation starters. Still, I’d like to have them (conversations, that is) sometimes. If I blog about riding the bus to a house party, I’d like to know if any of you’ve ever done it–or why you wouldn’t.

Today, to make it easy, I’ve got a topic that often incites heated debate among bus-riders, a topic that has been the subject of an ongoing argument between my beloved fiance and me: the controversial transfer.

I prefer to avoid transferring when possible. I find it interrupts the flow of the ride and prevents me from settling in (to a book, a nap, a conversation–whatever). Also, I’m cold-averse and hate the idea of going outside after I’ve acclimated to the warm, dry bus. If I have an option between a single, slow bus and two (or more) that get me there faster, I’m probably going to choose the single bus–unless it’s August or I’m pressed for time.

Adam, on the other hand, says the most important factor is how long it takes to get where he’s going. If transferring 18 times would get him someplace faster than not transferring at all, he would do it.

My instinct tells me that an efficient bus system involves a lot of short, fast routes and lots of convenient transfer points, though the super-smart transit planner I met yesterday (Hey, Jack!) would probably know better. Still, my ideal ride is transfer-free.

What do you think? Assume it’s January. Assume the ride is faster if you transfer. Do you prefer to do it, or take a single, slower bus? How much is enough time to save to make a transfer worth it to you? How many transfers are too many?