The Public Bus

I moved less than a month ago.  My old apartment was in the middle of downtown, my new apartment is not.  In order to get into downtown I need to either take a taxi or a public bus. 
The taxi is fast and uncrowded (unless you bring enough people to fill all four seats) and you always get a seat.  Unfortunately, taxis are too expensive to take all the time so, I spend a great deal of my time on the city bus.  Like in America, city buses take a long time, they aren't usually in the greatest shape, and sometimes you have to stand, but they are cheap.  Unlike America, many Chinese people don't have cars so during most of the day, the buses are moderately to very crowded.  In America, I moderately crowded bus would mean all or most of the seats are taken and a crowded bus would mean that all the seats are taken and some people have to stand.  In China, it's a little different.  A moderately crowded bus in China is a full bus in America.  A crowded bus would mean people are touching you on every side.  A full bus would mean that you are so packed in that you sometimes miss your stop because you literally can't move two inches to the left or the right. 
I've honestly ridden every kind of bus in China.  Moderately crowded or uncrowded buses don't happen very often.  Crowded buses are common and I usually make it on at least one of those each day.  I avoid full buses like the plague.  They are exhausting.  I have to use my elbows defensively so that I can continue to breathe when the bus gets too full.  Though I have to say that Beijing wins over my city. 
Beijing can crowd people on a bus or subway to the point where I'm sure people have nearly suffocated before.  I road an extremely full subway once in Beijing and I didn't have to hold on to remain standing and I literally was starting to panic because I couldn't breathe.  I thank God every time I'm on a full bus that doesn't have Beijing's definition of full attached.