Comments on Chileno - Living in Santiago, Chile Travel Blog: How to Ride the Bus for Free in Santiago, Chile

Ah, right. Good point. I think I'll do an update...

2008-12-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Ah, right. Good point. I think I'll do an update post for riding at night. Then, you just say you left your card at home because you were in such a rush to get out the door. In fact, since writing this post I used that a lot and it was the most effective, day and night.

Thanks for the inspiration! :-)

What are you wrong about is that you could NEVER s...

2008-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

What are you wrong about is that you could NEVER say at nights that you have no money on your bip, that's impossible.
Everybody would laugh at you, and say:
¡AWEONAOOO.... LA TARJETA BIP DE PERMITE PAGAR AUNQUE NO TENGAS PLATA!

not sure what i'm wrong about. This post is simpl...

2008-12-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

not sure what i'm wrong about. This post is simply about how not to pay, on credit or otherwise.

well... you're wrong. if you get into a bus at nig...

2008-12-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

well... you're wrong. if you get into a bus at night with your beep card discharged it will NEVER mark red. it works like this: for the people who doesn't have money charged, at nights (from 22:30) the beep lets you pay charging a credit on your card. so if you had only $80, for example, and the bus ride costs $380, you will have -$300. when you charge the next day you will pay for it.

but anyway, your such a stupid man that i think you could never understand this. wanna publish this?

I don't know if this is new, but some transit folk...

2008-09-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is new, but some transit folks boarded a TranSantiago bus I took on La Alameda the other day and checked all of our BIP cards. I'm not sure if it was for statistical or for enforcement purposes, but they went to everyone.

By the way -- I'm from San Francisco, while our transit system can also be crap, it's dirt cheap compared to the rest of the USA. I wish I could pay less than $50 USD a month for unlimited rides to get me around Santiago! If anything, the MUNI system needs people to pay. Non-paying passengers are a real problem, and there are solutions for people who can't afford it. I've read about what's happened with TranSantiago and it's nothing like San Francisco. So pay up when you visit SF, please.

Phoenix_AC, the limited intelligence with which yo...

2008-01-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Phoenix_AC, the limited intelligence with which you approach the transportation problem proves you are not a constructive thinker, although you profess a desire for progress.

Your argument is that Transantiago will get better if people keep paying. The vast majority of Transantiago users pay, and your "precious country" is still in the third world. The reason the transport system is so dysfunctional is because it was designed badly, and for profiteers, not with the public interest.

Read my latest on the government's Transantiago bailout.

That's not because people aren't paying, it's because the government is inept. The service is bad, and they have to bail out their system with a loan. And then they expect to charge nearly a dollar per ride? That's fresco de raja I'll keep my money thank you very much!

This is just shit, it's because ofpeople like you ...

2008-01-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

This is just shit, it's because ofpeople like you that this country doesn't progress, always trying to rob the other, always trying to get a small advantage... No money implies no good transport. I don't like the transport system, nor i like the government, but what you do and you encourage others to do is exactly what will keep our precious country in the 3rd world forever. Will we progress a bit one day??? not like this...

Hey, anonymous dinglewit, your argument is complet...

2007-09-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, anonymous dinglewit, your argument is completely incoherent.

When I talk about "activists" I don't leave it at that, I'll quote myself, bitch.

>>>These are problems that continue to go unsolved because of government complacency and corruption.

My argument did not end at "there are activists doing this, so it's okay". That's all you read. You didn't have to shave your head. The uneducated populace that you represent is truly frightening.

Onward:

Me: Or would you like to tell them, "pay, or walk".

You: yes, because nobody likes to work for free.

So, (shaved) numb-skull, how is the driver's salary affected by people paying or not paying? Did you know that drivers are making LESS now than they were before transantiago? Did you know that's because thanks to the new system they are not allowed to pocket change like they used to in the past? Obviously not, because you would have had to READ MY POST to find that out.

>>>and there's a excuse for everything.

You really are stupid. I make it CLEAR that I am not excusing anything. I'm just saying there's no fucking moral imperative to pay. None. At. All. That's a completely different position and if you demonstrated more than a 3rd grade logic and argumentation skillz that'd be clear as day.

>>>
i grew up in a country, where everybody buys his ticket and enters a bus or train - without being checked. i love the look in the chilean faces when i tell them this.

Because you are a more moral and forthright person than these lying, cheating and stealing sudacas. Way to go, anonymous nut-dingle.

There are Chilean activists who are much more seri...

2007-08-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

There are Chilean activists who are much more serious than me about this who make open calls for people not to pay.

wow, good argument. there are activist telling me, that holocaust did never happen.
is ok then, when i shave my head?

Or would you like to tell them, "pay, or walk".

yes, because nobody likes to work for free.

but i know, it's just me here thinking like this. everybody else just tries to fuck the system... and there's a excuse for everything.

i grew up in a country, where everybody buys his ticket and enters a bus or train - without being checked. i love the look in the chilean faces when i tell them this.

Listen, I made it very clear that even if it were ...

2007-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Listen, I made it very clear that even if it were completely functional, that I would prefer not to pay. This is a guide for people who prefer not to pay for the bus.

In addition, there happens to be absolutely no moral imperative to pay. There are Chilean activists who are much more serious than me about this who make open calls for people not to pay. So I'm including that POV as well.

If the bus system were functional, then it would just be me scamming the system, which is partly what's going on. But in addition, the fact is that I believe that it is morally better NOT to pay, because those who are profiting are the very same people who intentionally fucked over the system.

In addition, much of the time the buses come late, and are overcrowded. It is an inhumane experience that one should not have to pay for. These are problems that continue to go unsolved because of government complacency and corruption. The overcrowding of the metro, caused by Transantiago, killed an elderly man. I saw an interview on TV where a man lost his job because the crowded buses didn't stop, and he arrived at work late and got fired. Now he continues to use the buses to make his way around town, handing out resumes.

Should that guy pay close to a dollar per ride, every 90 minutes (after which you are charged again if you want to ride again) to millionaires profiting while he lost his job? I sincerely hope that he and people like him read this entry (using google translate if they don't speak english), and find out how to save a little bit of money, so that they don't starve while looking for work.

Or would you like to tell them, "pay, or walk".

just because transantiago is crap it doesn't give ...

2007-08-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

just because transantiago is crap it doesn't give you the right to cheat on it!

you use a service, you pay it. if you prefer not to pay, you walk.

but i see the problem: you feel cheated, so you cheat on somebody else.

You have no idea how much I appreciated the how-to...

2007-08-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

You have no idea how much I appreciated the how-to guide for copping free rides on the bus-- this is the knowledge meant to be shared on the internet... Who gives a shit about the celebrities of entertainment, politics or sports? We need to get across town on the cheap, not feel as though our lives are worthless because we're not puking behind some Hollywood club...

Unfortunately up here in San Francisco MUNI (the city bus/subway system) has been incorporating measures to prevent free rides... Traditionally a brazen storming of the back door ensured being able to seat yourself without any notice being taken or your existence... Some pep talks have been made by management and loudspeakers have been added onto buses so the drivers and park the coach can yell (audible to random passerby as well as passengers) at the offender... It also used to be possible to wave random bits of paper at or, more commonly, walk right past the driver without any degree of hassle ensuing... This too seems to be frowned upon more and more...

But the most heinous degree of oppression currently enforced by MUNI has been the addition of fare police who troll the subway and streetcars checking for transfers or passes... It used to be no deal to hop on the train and ride till your heart's content but there's now a force of tattle-tales working in collusion with the police riding the rails bothering you until you take your headphones off and show them some proof of admission... Don't have it? Suddenly you're being escorted off the bus and ticketed next to a squad car...

I pretty much walk everywhere but once in a great while I still hop on the train to cut through a tunnel or stay dry in the rain... You actually reminded me of my last trip (which was about ten hours before I offended mothers with their children stopped at red lights) with this post where I basically decided to avoid the stress and anxiety of dodging my far by paring and was unable to do so because the fucking driver took the car partially into the tunnel thus forcing me to board a rear door... I stood at the back with the money in my pockets feeling secure in divine intervention when, lo and behold, fare cops!

Luckily the driver hadn't locked the doors before they boarded so I was able to, with great embarrassment, loudly and hurriedly kick open the door and jump off right in front of a nice tourist family who gave me the once over when I boarded and stood right next to their children... I spent about a block walking in a fit of extreme tension wondering if a prowler was gonna pull up next to me...

Bastards... I walked home later...

And constructive criticism is something the majori...

2007-08-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

And constructive criticism is something the majority of our fellow compatriots can't handle. They do not know how to distinguish.

And one more thing, I get the feeling that people ...

2007-08-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

And one more thing, I get the feeling that people who forward this "why don't you say something nice" or "why don't you just leave" aren't even really reading this blog, it's as if in some parallel circle they come up with these criticisms then slap them on to whatever post suits their fancy, without reading it. For example, this post is about how Chileans and foreigners can ride the bus for free, because it's better than paying for the bus for a variety of great, well-argued reasons that I'd be happy to further engage anybody. If homeboy read this blog he'd find that I'm capable of posting glowingly about Chile and Chileans and that I've answered on numerous occasions the bizarre, supernatural duality of someone having complaints with a place, but choosing to stay there all the same. It's called constructive criticism.

I only published that last comment to give one mo...

2007-08-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

I only published that last comment to give one more example of how the "naysayers" are consistently less intelligent than the people who either support this blog or present their criticisms in a constructive way. It's not the spelling or the language skills of proudly Anonymous, but the argument being forwarded which, if written in the Spanish language, would sound just as dumb.

>>>my coutnry...

I don't defend my country, or your country, or any country. Nations aren't something I need to prop up my identity.

>>>as i can see you dont have much life

hehehe

M.... i dont really care what do you feel about my...

2007-08-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

M.... i dont really care what do you feel about my coutnry...
and what do you think about chilean people..
i understan that we (chileans) make our own image, for the rest...
but
i just want to know
you know very well how its work, so you live here....
if you don´t like my country...why are you still living on a country that, as i can see, you dont like it, dont you have money..or what?

i mean...if i´m living on a coutnry that i dont like...and i´m not from thath countre...
fuck off...i get out..

thin about it...
as i can see you dont have much life, beacuse you talk too much shit...

bye

The key to making it work is enter every bus ride ...

2007-08-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

The key to making it work is enter every bus ride like it were the very first time you're doing it. The second you make this "routine" then you're in big trouble. Each bus ride is a fresh new beginning. You see, there's really nothing "tricky" about it, you're just appealing on a human level to the driver's sense of empathy. But you have to look surprised that you don't have money on your card. Keep in mind that it's a ONE TIME THING...every time. ;-)

MMmmmm...that's pretty slick and I am glad that yo...

2007-08-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

MMmmmm...that's pretty slick and I am glad that you somehow manage to pull that off, but I don't know that this trick might work for everybody. Back in the day (90's) it was somehow different system and I am talking about when the ride was $120 preciosos. Now is like a "wanna be north american transit system" for what I heard.
Good one. I want to know about the metro one. Now that's a challenge...