When I was in SF, my European mind was astonished why bus stops are so often (and why there is a cable to pull, but that's a different thing). Considering that the area was less populated than my city. And we also have speedbuses that stop every second or third bus stop.
It was unreal.
In my city bus stops have 1km between them (sometimes it is 700m sometimes 1.3km) so about 3200 feet.
It is about 15min walk between each bus stop, so when I need to wait for bit longer I prefer to walk to the next bus stop, just to have something to do.
> and why there is a cable to pull, but that's a different thing
Huh... How is it set up where you live? I've ridden buses in Europe and I remember them having cables, or at least buttons.
It's usually buttons in Europe. The cord things always make me think of train emergency stop cords (though these days those are usually "break glass" buttons).
It's different per country, and even per city within the country. As a rule of thumb, big cities don't have buttons/cords, smaller ones do.
I've never seen cords in Europe, neither in a big city nor little towns.
I've never seen the pull-cord things in Europe, but they seem to be common in the US.
To European eyes they seem old fashioned, untidy, and possibly dirty.
Can you clarify what you mean by dirty? Or why that would be any more dirty than anything else in public? European buses frequently have stop buttons, not sure how those would be any cleaner than a plastic covered cord.
Also not sure what is old-fashioned about a pull cord compared to a bunch of buttons. Just a different way of activating an electrical circuit.
It's just the impression I get. Buses I've used in the USA are usually older and tattier than here, and the cord is part of that.
You need to clarify what you mean by "here" and what part of the US you are talking about. The US and Europe are big places and the transit systems are as different inter as they are intra.
The Paris Metro is an absolute run-down antique compared to the trains in Seattle. It would be silly for me to declare that all European metro systems are therefore run down and tatty. If I compare the Barcelona metro to New York, it makes Europe look great. Meanwhile the London Tube is cramped, frequently dilapidated and has its own species of mosquito.