The traffic light has just turned red. You see two buses waiting, side by side, revving their engines. You think to yourself, “it’s my lucky day. No waiting for the bus. Today I have options.” Then with the blink of an eye red turns to green and both bus drivers push the pedal to the metal in a race to see who’s going to get the privilege of picking you up. Three seconds later you find yourself staring at the back of both buses wondering what just happened?
This is no out of the ordinary, random once in a blue moon moment. This is the daily scene on John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City, NJ. Jersey City commuters are serviced by several bus companies. There’s the official NJ Transit bus line, the unofficial “minibuses” or “dollar buses”, and then there’s the “random bus” line.
NJ Transit buses run on a schedule, maintain a safe driving speed while passing by, and are the much more expensive transportation option. John F. Kennedy turns into the Indy 500 once a “dollar bus” and a “random bus” meet at a red light. Drivers of each bus go from 0-60 in what seems like two seconds in the name of picking up riders and increasing their profits.
The “dollar bus” gained its nickname back when they first appeared on the streets of Jersey City. Charging riders $1 for local stops, Jersey City residents quickly dubbed the new buses “dollar buses.” The “random bus” is just that, a random bus. You’ll never see the same random bus on a regular basis and a random bus is the worst looking bus you can ride. It’s seats are dirty, the windows are locked shut and the driver always looks disturbingly nervous while driving.
Their is a dirty competition going on between these two bus companies. Many times both buses will drive by bus stops that don’t have enough passengers waiting for a bus. Other times the bus drivers that do pick you up make you feel like your on a roller coaster ride with the constant speeding and stopping. Commuters are constantly being driven by for no reason, once on the bus they have to hold on to dear life because the drivers hit the gas before they have a chance to even look for a seat. The morning commute is hard enough without having to stand at a bus and wonder, “are there enough passengers at this stop?”
Capitalism has taught us that competition is a good thing, it’s supposed to be beneficial for consumers because it gives us options. In this case capitalism has failed us. The competition between the two smaller bus companies has led to reckless driving and unsafe commutes.