Daily English 157 - Taking the Bus in Los Angeles

Complete Lesson

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Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 0:45
Explanation begins at: 3:08
Normal Speed begins at: 19:53

I just moved to L.A. and don’t have a car. Everybody says that you can’t get around this city without one, but I wanted to prove them wrong.

I asked my neighbor to take me to the downtown bus station so I could try taking the bus home. She thought I was crazy but gave me a ride. When I got there, I went inside and got a bus schedule. I looked at the map and figured out that I needed to take three buses to get home. The fare was $1.75 per ride and I could buy a single ticket, a booklet of 20, or a bus pass. I would need transfers, too, to change buses.

I took my map and went outside to wait at the bus stop for the Number 8 bus. Soon it pulled up and I got on. I gave my ticket to the bus driver and took a seat. At the stop where I needed to get off, I rang the bell, the bus stopped, and I got off. I waited for the next bus. I waited and waited. A man who was also waiting for the Number 14 bus said that it wasn’t unusual for the bus to be delayed. It finally got there and I found out that the bus had broken down along the route and they had to get another bus to take its place. By this time, I was getting pretty tired. Maybe getting a car in L.A. wasn’t such a bad idea.

Category: Transportation