Basi rant

Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike riding the basi (bus in Chinese)? I’ll say “dislike” as opposed to “hate” for now because in many parts of the world, the basi is the primary mode of transport. But i’m in Hong Kong, a first world colony with a third world master with great infrastructure and at least on paper, good transport options even if you were to choose to ride the basi to HKG compared to the swish Airport Express (mostly due to price and time considerations).
First off, basi have a unfortunate tendency to never be on time. Ever. And when you are waiting at the basi stop, waiting for “your basi”, every other basi goes roaring past spewing diesel and dirt onto your freshly showered self. Meanwhile, the basi that is supposed to run “every 15 minutes” is, of course, LATE!!
And that gets me to the topic of basi stops. They’re poorly marked and leaves you exposed to the elements whether it be sun or smog. By contrast, rail transport is clearly marked, the stations themselves being landmarks in their neighborhood. People know where the MTR station is but not necessarily where the A11 stop is. There’s also a cool factor at work. “Meet me at Mong Kok MTR” is definitely better than “meet me at the Delaware and Glouchester basi stop. And don’t forget your hazmat suit and particle mask. And provisions when we are stranded there cuz the basi kanna run on schedule.”
Rail generally runs on schedule here. I’ve never seen or heard of a late MTR train. But i’ve heard of late A11 basi to HKG. In fact, i’m finally on one. Only waited 25 minutes for a basi that was supposed to arrive in 12. So I’m cutting it close yet again. Figures.