Imagine the worst stuff on TV - late night cable commercials, PSAs, vague newbits from Stepford News Announcers. Now imagine it blaring at level 11 -- and no way to escape.

Now you have an idea of what it's like to take a ride on one of MTA's buses equipped with Transit TV.

Everytime I take a ride on an MTA bus, which is at least once a week thanks to gas prices. I remember why I hate the experience so much. It's not the other passengers. It's not the long rides. It's not the occasional crazy person ranting about the bugs coming out of the seats. It's not the sticky stuff on the poles that comes off on your hand when the bus lurches down the street. It's not even the arctic air blasting down the exposed necks of passengers at 8 a.m.

It's the damn TVs that nobody watches.

Who wants to watch crappy TV on the bus? No one. People are reading, talking, on their cells, listening to music, text messages. With very few exceptions, no one watches that damn thing, which only adds to the noise pollution of the crowded buses. And don't try asking the drivers to turn it down. They won't, and sometimes they might be nasty if you ask, just because they can.

Take a taste of the offerings at the Transit Television Network.

It's bad enough to be aurally assualted each day, but now the MTA is planning to jack up fares by nearly 200 percent. Do MTA board members (all pols who don't actually ride the bus for anything other than photo ops) want to drive ridership down? Or are they just clueless?

C'mon GloMo, help us out here. Make the bus a pleasant alternative, not a short trip through hell.