This is my contribution for @mariannewest's 5-minute freewrite.
I never really needed to learn how to read a timetable until I spent time in Europe in my early twenties. Local public transportation didn't exist where I grew up, and I didn't fly or take a train very often, so I didn't need to know. But in Europe I used public transportation every day, so I learned how to read a timetable.
Now I live in another rural area with no local public transportation. But, several years ago, a bus service was started in the nearest large town. I tried to read their timetable once and it made no sense at all. I have never tried to ride that bus because I don't understand where it goes or when. I don't really need to, because I have a car. But some day I might need to ride it, so I suppose I should look at the timetable again. Perhaps it has been improved over the years. Perhaps the reliability of the service has improved as well; I heard stories about how the bus was never on time in its early days. I suppose it takes a while to get those things to run smoothly. Meanwhile, I am grateful for my car which gets me where I need to be.