BOSTON—Surveying the unfamiliar terrain in which he found himself, bus passenger Aaron Coleman deduced by his surroundings Wednesday that he had either not yet reached his desired stop or passed his stop a long time ago. “I must’ve spaced out during this part of my trip, because none of this looks quite right. Either I have to wait it out for a little bit longer or I’m already way too far gone,” said Coleman, 31, who recognized some distant buildings through the window, but wasn’t sure if they were coming closer or moving farther away than was optimal. “Maybe if I hop off now, I’ll be close enough to walk. Then again, I’d feel pretty dumb if I’m only a few stops away from home.” At press time, Coleman had resolved to ride another 40 minutes until the bus reached its last stop.

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