I took the bus into Wellington yesterday (from Johnsonville). I was right up front on a double decker. The day was beautiful and the view was amazing, as we twisted through the hills north of Wellington and got close to the harbour. Riding right up front of a double-decker as it twists around hairpins on steep slopes made me feel, at times, like the whole bus was going to tip forward. Like a gentle rollercoaster.

At a couple of points, some weirdos drove by in flash cars – a Maserati and a Lamborghini. I felt sorry for them, having to drive themselves around in cars worth more than 95% of people earn in a year which required petrol that costs ~$2.50 a litre. And here I was, with a $3.50 fare, relaxed, riding in luxury. Being driven by a professional (though horrifically underpaid), driver, like a prince.

Public transport is the ultimate luxury. It’s cheap, it’s easy because you don’t have to leave your mode of transport anywhere, and most of all, it’s cognitively relaxed. Be it by train, bus, tram, motorised footpath or ferry, taking public transport is the best way to travel. And though e-bikes and scooters are great for the last few kilometres, it’s the mass transit that makes a city more liveable.

So keep your Lamborghinis, car enthusiast weirdos. I’ll spend the same money on a lifetime worth of bus fares and enjoy the scenery while you probably sit in gridlocked traffic.