All told, William Hui spent $200 on public transportation for the trip.
William Hui would n’t recommend doing what he did to just anyone . Heading from Vancouver , Canada to Tijuana , Mexico while relying solely on public buses , gear , and subways is not for every traveller . You have to really like public transportation . It takes passion and commitment , as well as nine days to spare . Or at least , that ’s how long it took Hui to discharge his journeying successfully .
Mostly , though , it learn a positive mental attitude toward uncertainty . " handle with the uncertainty of whether the bus is come or not ( for system of rules that do not have real - sentence transit data ) and shell out with the incertitude of traffic — it ’s probably not for everyone , " Hui , 40 , recite Thrillist . " In fact , I would venture to say it is really only for a very diminished number of hoi polloi with very specific interests and really a very unequaled sentience of adventure . "
Hui most definitely belong to that select group . To him , public transportation is n’t but a job — he ’s the director of system engineering at TransLink , Vancouver ’s local transportation authority — it ’s also a passion dating back as early as he can remember .
Photo courtesy of William Hui
Even in primary school , Hui recall trying to come in some public theodolite element into every assignment , from societal report project to skill unity . This unique passion is what led him to become an applied scientist . " I like to clear problems , " he say . " So programing [ motorbus ] , how to design a bus itinerary , how to make infrastructure to serve the service — that in itself is a very interesting expanse for me . "
To Hui , watch and figuring out how to clear big logistics problem is like solving a mystifier that serve a greater purpose : allowing existent human organism to be connected .
Plus , through public transportation , he amaze to let on the earth in a unique manner . While individual mean of transportation , such as sheet , take you to set , preponderantly touristy destinations , public conveyance reserve for not only more freedom , but more rural , off - the - map discovery , the one that lets you , as Hui puts it , " get a flavor of the culture and the mass who are there . "
" With public transit , you have so much flexibleness , although it ’s a little shivery , " Hui say . " I get it , because you ’re go into the unknown . " He hesitate for a 2d and then , with a dad - joke smile , sum , " This is the part thatthrillsme . "
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This head trip from Vancouver to Tijuana was n’t Hui ’s first rodeo , and it most certainly wo n’t be his last . In 2013 , he managed to go from Vancouver to Salem , Oregon follow the same principle , using only public transportation . It necessitate him two daytime and a morning .
Now , Hui is look at the future tense and wondering how far public transportation can take him . We sit down with Hui to talk over his Mexico - jump public transportation system journey , his passion for transit , and his succeeding plans .
Thrillist : What ab initio pep up you to go from Vancouver to Tijuana , relying entirely on public transportation?William Hui : I take a similar head trip back in 2013 from Vancouver to Salem , Oregon , and the impetus for that type of trip was that I really wanted to see how far I could get . I only got as far back then , but I ’ve always had this niggling melodic theme of " If there ’s more services , how far can I get ? Can I get further ? Can I get down to Mexico ? " ultimately , I was capable to do that this year .
After nine days of travel, Hui finally crossed the border and entered Mexico.|Photo courtesy of William Hui
Now that you have succeeded in getting to Mexico , do you think you could get even further than that by public transportation?I would absolutely like to try . Partly , I was able to make this stumble because of the proliferation of data on the internet that was usable for transit services , which has only gotten better since 2013 .
Additionally , I had the fortune of being able to speak English . Language is a challenge . Traveling through the United States was fine for me because I was familiar with English . I had some reservation about travel further south from Tijuana , principally because I did n’t know the speech and could n’t say decently . If you have any readers who are savvy or familiar with Mexico and Latin America , I would screw to take up anyone ’s go to guide me on public transit beyond Tijuana !
You said only public transportation was countenance on your journey . What does that mean , in terms of real way of transportation?The rules of the game were that I had to take services that were only supply by public transportation system agencies and were freely available to members of the populace . So , no Amtrak , no Greyhound , no Flixbus , no Ubers .
The other refinement to the convention was that I did n’t want to walk too much . The limit was something like 15 to 30 minute on infantry . Even as I made my way down the west coast of the United States , there were no situations where I had to take the air substantial distances between bus stops .
Well , that ’s a good house . It means that the public transportation organisation has a good web . Yes ! The local agencies , particularly in the rural sphere , designed their services with connection in creative thinker , which I think was absolutely fantastic . I ’ve traveled to many places in North America where services just do n’t integrate very well , either in timing , location , or both .
But for this trip , it was really quite surprising how well the services suffer in out - of - the - agency places that are very far - flung , and I was able to make connector without many issue .
Did you experience any transportation - bear on difficulty during your trip ? I ’m think of delete buses , strike , and so on . I was fortunate enough not to have to experience any of that . I do n’t think I experienced anything more than a significant dealings delay in Los Angeles . Everything else pretty much ran harmonize to plan , which was in itself quite unbelievable .
But you had a few design Bs?I did . The room I plan the trip was that I reckon out for tight connections , so I try out to make plans . I tried to space out my connective as much as possible so that I would have a little fleck of a buffer , but sometimes it ’s just not possible because , in theodolite systems , the frequencies just do n’t run all that often .
How long did it take you to plan this out?As I mention , I did a similar trip in 2013 . So the generation of this slip in reality started in 2012 . I reused a lot of the route from Vancouver to Portland . In fact , I pretty much used almost the exact same route .
That ’s a peck of research!It is a lot of research . I would peck a billet and then I would ask , " Okay , I can cross the border ? Where did the next bus take me ? How far to the south can that passage take me ? " Then I ’d Google that location to see if there ’s any transportation in that part of the metropolis , and see if there are any armed service that would fetch me further south .
With Google Maps now , it ’s much gentle because there ’s a transit option . So as long as the transit agency is providing their information to Google , then I can just move things around the map and see how far I can get .
After the enquiry comes the actual misstep , what was your land of judgment throughout the journey?To be totally reliable , my commonwealth of mind was one of excitation and anticipation . Anywhere in the world , I seek to take some transit . I had an expectation that it could be done because I ’ve done the inquiry . I knew , theoretically , the docket would match .
Now , the part that was a bit apprehensive to me was , " Will there be any disruption ? " That was the challenging part — the only part that dedicate me some anxiety . But when I really made those connection , and once I started entering the urban center of San Francisco , when I could see the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge emerge in the distance , that ’s when I knew I got this . I was middling convinced that I could get to Mexico and that this could be done . It was just such satisfaction .
How much did this journeying be you , if we only consider money drop on public transportation?It was just about USD 200 .
That ’s not too pricey . It is low-priced , absolutely . But if you reckon at Greyhound , it ’s really not that different . When I look at it , a Greyhound misstep was perhaps two or three days , but it cost pretty much the same . I do n’t think it deviated significantly .
And just for completeness , I fly back from San Diego . I would do it if the connecter worked , but it was actually much more difficult , connections wise , get going the other direction . It would actually take me longer than nine days to amount back . Just the flight back was about USD 200 one - fashion . So if you ’re looking for a chintzy style to get down there , that ’s actually not the cheapest way to go , specially if you factor out in accommodation for the nine days .
permit ’s talk about you " rawdogging " this journey . I heard that you did n’t use any kind of entertainment while riding on public transport . Was that part of your rules?That actually was not a rule . Looking out the window was my entertainment . I love seeing what ’s perish by me , and I never thought I ’d be able to push back along the Oregon coast or claver the redwood of northerly California without having to use a private vehicle or maybe a motorcycle . There ’s such beauty in the place that we live that why would I want to do something to distract from that ?
I was very designed about when I choose this trip-up . It was in the summertime months and just after the longest day of the year . I wanted to take advantage of the overnice weather condition and extended day . I want to look out the window . I need to explore these places through public transit .
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So , public expatriation was n’t a mean to an end . rather , it was the end . precisely . That ’s absolutely it .
Would you do this variety of journeying again?Oh yes , I would do a standardized trip somewhere else in the cosmos . I would even do a standardised misstep with the same origin , possibly further south . Or mayhap , with the same goal , if there was a unlike routing or if I wanted to stop somewhere in between . The possibilities are endless . I have n’t thought that far yet , but there will be more adventures to come .
What do you mean people get incorrect about public transportation?There ’s a perception that transportation is unsafe and that it ’s for a certain demographic of people , and I do n’t intend it necessarily is . It does n’t have to be that manner . I have had a issue of people require me if I ever feel unsafe on the bus . It ’s a form of Department of Transportation , and I suppose it ’s a bit unfortunate that there is that stigma or stereotype that public transit is dangerous . You do n’t necessitate that of a plane ride , for illustration . Hopefully this tripper would serve correct some of those perceptions and mayhap shine a luminance onto why there is that sensing and how we can make that better .
You have probably take a record number of buses in your life story . So secernate me , what ’s the best prat to get?It is itinerary dependent for me . On this trip , I use up a quick peek on Google Maps to see where the bus was rifle and to see if there was anything interesting on what side of the bus topology . If there ’s a coastline , clearly I want to be on the glide . I also usually endeavor to pick something that ’s toward the back of the bus , mainly because if people have mobility issues or need a buns , I do not want to be take a keister away from them .
Also , to be fair , the cool cat hang out in the back . There you go . I did n’t require to let that closed book out of the old bag .
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