This mad rush to be everywhere at a specific time, usually when tens of thousands of other people are also trying to be at a similar spot at the same time, is a major cause of people being traffic. Heck, as the pandemic has shown, we don't even really need to always be in the same physical place to have a meeting; technology can relieve us of that burden.
My family gave up driving years ago, due to cost and stress, and it's been great largely for this reason. I don't worry about dealing with all of the people who have Very Important Places To Be. That's Metro's job, and they do it well.
In places where this is sort of thing is common, I wonder if people aren't bothered by it because they truly in their heart of hearts don't mind, or because they've just resigned themselves to the unpredictability of their transportation.
GP commenters is missing out that this is usually a culture-wide expectation.
If you're 30 minutes late, you mention the bus, and your boss gives you a knowing smile. Because it happens to him too.
Efficient? Less so. More relaxed? God yes.
That's kinda the point. If it's culturally acceptable for this to be normal behavior, then yes, people _would_ accommodate such disruptions.
> attitude like this is almost impossible to work with.
Again, in reality, it is not impossible and works well enough all over the world.
> It is ultimately a rather selfish lifestyle.
In response to a post about US workers being among the most stressed in the world, you're suggesting that alternative strategies are "selfish"?
I think that yes really it is. I agree with the many people in this thread that say Americans are way over the top with rushing and stressing out over things and putting unreasonable demands on themselves and others.
That said I completely agree that no its not fine for a regular bus driver to just stop and take his lunch and chat with friends just because he feels like it. That's would be what I agree is "this attitude" and selfish.
However, in this particular case we might be talking Greyhound style long distance service and it might just be how this service route is planned out and everyone knows. Then it's fine.
Context matters I would say.
Made up example: your company has a rule to end all meetings 5 minutes before the scheduled end (for real, not just a fake rule to 'make people feel less stressed'). In this company, if you are late to your next meeting you better have a good explanation.
Next company over no such rule exists and higher up regularly end their meetings late. Don't even expect me to make up an excuse when I come 5 minutes late to the next meeting.
Also, it's not like the US is doing a good job at getting big things done. 30 years for 50 miles of Seattle-area subway?
I dunno, maybe like improving the quality of life for everyone on this planet?
If you think things like this [0] will happen without "big things" getting done, you're mistaken.
[0] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/world-population-in-extre...
You certainly wouldn't book any kind of meeting based on the expected arrival time, a healthy amount of buffer time would need to be calculated in, and that just gives you time to go to a local cafe before your meeting.