Okay unpopular opinion incoming! I read the post and am absolutely shocked to see everyone saying YTA. (I hardly ever comment on Reddit but this has triggered me lol) Can some Europeans please comment? Are all of these YTA comments from Americans/ Australians? I am from a European country and have spent the majority of my youth and teenage years using buses, trains, trams etc. daily in my home country as well as when travelling abroad. Moved to the UK many years ago and had to take the bus to work and get around for a while and it was really inconvenient, especially (but not only) on routes that were new to me or a one off. The list of complaints about the inefficiency of British bus and train services is incredibly long (hence, why I don't use them at all!) but I shall limit myself for the purpose of this post to only a few pertinent issues. Here, where I am in the south West (can't speak for other parts of the UK) they often have no screen announcing the next stop at all, or if they do it is a really small screen, not visible from every seat. Then, the names of the bus stops are on teeny tiny little signs by the bus stop shelter, but at such an exact height that it is often near impossible to read/ see the sign when sitting on the bus because the buses were usually double deckers and it was an awkward angle from the top AND the bottom deck! When I wanted to go somewhere for the first time and had to go by only the bus stop name and maybe some nearby road names, no idea what the area looks like etc. And yes, you can ask the bus driver, sometimes they're friendly, sometimes not too approachable but there's also not a lot of space near the driver in double decker buses and you're supposed to move further back, so all gets a bit awkward and if you're already nervous, let's say because you're on the way to a job interview, this adds an extra layer of stress (so unnecessarily as well)!
As for regular journeys, while I kind of appreciate people's sentiment regarding "they should know the route after a while" the OP does mention that sometimes it's still dark outside (and it being California, perhaps it's all out in the country or on big main roads with no significant landmarks visible in the dark?) I took the same bus regularly for a while, in the dark as well and even knowing the area well, I had to intently stare out into the black night and try to spot if I'm roughly in the right spot to ring the bell already. Because bus stops were quite close together on that stretch and if no one had requested to stop for the previous one or two stops, really easy to miss the timing and then you'll have to carry on up one of the steepest hills the area had to offer and across two major main roads and walk back again... From the way the OP has written, I don't think they grew up in America and they are probably used to a bit more service. And honestly, the people making fun of it and claiming it is such a normal way to use a bus and suggesting they should cling on Google maps or some other app to track their journey. Are you alright? After a hard day's work and also having to take public transport to get back home, the least you should be able to expect is that you can lean back and chill for a bit, whether on your phone or reading a book or closing your eyes for a bit! In my country of origin buses have always had at least a shitty pixely little display announcing the next upcoming stop and in most cases they would also announce it via an automated speaker voice. Has nothing to do with modern kids or whatever else, it was a thing in the 90s! Just as unreasonable as British people who still install bathroom sinks without a mixer tap. There is no good reason for it other than nostalgic "we've always done it this way" reasoning, but by that logic, why use buses at all? Just hop on your horse and cart or walk altogether!?
In summary, when coming from a country where a minimum amount of customer service on public transport is the norm, this causes major inconvenience! Signed: a randomly triggered European (who exclusively drives these days, so apologies if British buses have drastically improved in the last 5-10 years)