Out of Step

Day 206 - 6:59pm, 26 July 2019

Peak tourist season is fast approaching. I can measure its proximity by how long it takes me to travel home from work. On average, the bus should take between twenty to thirty minutes and as the buses should be every ten to fifteen minutes, we are usually looking at a journey of forty-five minutes all told.

Today, it took seventy minutes. I thought I was being smart by hopping on a bus up to Princes Street to catch the bus from there, but with no buses due within the next ten minutes and the queue snaking out long beyond the shelter, I opt to round the corner to the Mound, where I can also get a bus from. Turns out, I must have just missed it, so I start to walk. I stop frequently, either to check the bus trackers at the bus stops or more often because of the tourists idling on the pavements. I breathe a sigh of relief when I leave them behind me and arrive at Tollcross. 

My bus woes are not over. Having left the Mound with the next bus due in 13 minutes, I arrive at Tollcross having shaved a minute off the waiting time. I decide there is no point walking further, it won't gain me access to any other bus routes so I wait it out. The bus that comes is crowded and I have to stand. I wish now that I had walked the whole way, it would have taken the same length of time. 

Next week I may have no choice but to walk. With the buses due to go on strike on Friday to coincide with the start of the Fringe, I could well be making the journey on foot both ways. Let's hope that headphones and an interesting podcast will be enough to drown out my frustration.