"Clang, clang, clang went the trolley."

Most major American cities seem to be continually updating their transit system. But Miami seems to have taken the opposite tack, at least on the popular route I take: 24. They are now replacing the comfortable upholstered-seat buses with clackety trolleys whose wooden benches are not only amazingly uncomfortable, but incredibly slippery. Since they seem to make more stops than the buses which they are slowly—and I do mean slowly—replacing, they take longer to get from point A to point B. As if the discomfort weren't unpleasant enough, it would seem that the drivers are allowed to play their favorite kind of music. You probably have guessed that this does not include Vivaldi or Gershwin, but repetitive rap, loud rock, and in many cases Latin radio stations. So if you are one of the rare commuters in Miami who likes to read, you are out of luck. I also don't think the handicapped will be pleased, as it is more difficult to get on these trolleys, they have no back door in the event of an emergency and the constant rumbling must be even more annoying in a wheelchair.  So while Metro Los Angeles operates the largest compressed natural gas fleet of buses in the United States, and more and more cities are replacing tired old fleets with comfortable, sleek,  fuel-efficient transportation for today's generation, Miami offers its commuters the kind of buses that would have seemed incredibly modern in 1948.

Note: Not wishing to be considered anything like Rand Paul, I would like to credit this headline to Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane from their brilliant "The Trolley Song" featured in Meet Me In St. Louis.

Second note: I am sure some people seeing this photo will say, "how adorable". Perhaps, but not for a daily 35-minute commute between one's home and office to a rock song whose single lyric is repeated at least 16 times.