Dynamic commuting on transit

Having options is good.  Or is it? Because you care, here's a flow chart (that's right, a flow chart) of my daily commute on the TriMet system:

Simply fascinating.  All in all it takes about 45 minutes if I only take the #14 and MAX, or 35-40 minutes if I can avoid taking MAX through downtown by taking #6.  

The point is, there are a variety of transit options to get me from home to work, just as drivers often have several routes they can choose depending on traffic, weather, etc.It stands to reason that transit trips should be complicated - and therefore interesting - right?  

Not at all.  Yes, I get some satisfaction out of "beating the system," so to speak, since TriMet's trip planner doesn't even offer me the option of taking the #6 when in fact it is often the fastest.  (This is likely either because as it's scheduled it wouldn't be faster, or because it has too many transfers--you can currently select either "Fewest transfers" or "Quickest route" on the trip planner, but not both).

But I'm the exception (which makes me exceptional, indeed).  I do think that people want to feel an element of control over their journey, which explains much of the appeal of driving.  On the other hand, I would easily trade the transit-junkie "high" I get out of my commute with a reliably fast and simple trip.  I'll take the pure powder over crack any day.  

So while I see potential for real time trip information to enable better travel by providing information on alternative routes, it probably requires too much effort and knowledge of the transit network to be practically used in this way by most riders.  Then again, drivers everywhere have a good knowledge of the road network where they are driving and can make routing decisions on the fly. 

I had initially thought that this idea of a dynamic commute might be a creative selling point for transit.  Maybe the perception of dynamism would appeal to those who want more control than they feel they normally get with transit.  In the end, though, I'd argue that people prefer simplicity and limited options.  Profound, I know.  Otherwise transit could fall victim to the paradox of choice problem.  And with scales already tilted against it, public transportation doesn't need another disadvantage in comparison to driving.