Why I love public transit
Posted
Mar 17 2008, 10:36 AM
by
Donna Freedman
The price of a Seattle bus ride just went up a quarter, the first increase in seven years. The price of a gallon of gas changes almost daily, and it's rarely in our favor. I wasn't surprised to read that ridership of King County Metro went up 7% last year.
I was part of that increase in "boardings," because a three-month Metro pass is just $44 for students. Since it currently costs $40 to fill my 2001 Chevy Cavalier, and about $14 a week to park on campus, I think $44 is a steal. Also, the less I drive the more I save on auto insurance.
I won't give up my car, for work and family reasons. But I sure love leaving it at home.
Another one rides the bus
Public transit has its drawbacks, of course. Because my class times don't jibe with Metro's schedule, I wind up at school 30 minutes early. When you're up until 2 a.m. doing homework, you miss that extra half-hour of shuteye.
On the other hand, I can doze on the bus. Or finish course readings. Or make notes for a discussion of Uruguayan literature. I can't do that while I'm behind the wheel. And after school, I'm really glad someone else is driving: I don't do well with gridlock when I'm reeling from hours of lectures on disability theory, French philosophers and Spanish gerunds. Saving my sanity is just as important as saving money.
I can also be glad that I've done my part to help the environment: Mine is one less car on the street.
Carhartts and laptops
Bus riders have the reputation of being dirty, loud and uncouth. Well, sometimes we are. I'd particularly like to tell the high school students on Route 75 that "loud" does not equal "cool," and that nobody older than 17 is impressed by how many times you can use the F-word in a single sentence. Really.
Many of the people I see on the bus are on their way to or from work, from toolbox-toting guys in Carhartts to women in business suits who work on their laptops during the ride. Other passengers are obviously down on their luck: They carry what looks like all their possessions in a bunch of bags, and have all-too-audible conversations about rehab, parole officers and ex-significant others who won't let them crash on the couch anymore.
And yes, some riders appear to have mental-health or substance-abuse issues. It's important to remember that all citizens have the right to public transit, not just the ones around whom we feel completely comfortable -- in other words, the ones who are just like us.
Oh, the humanity
People-watching is one of Xin Lu's "Five reasons why I love public transportation," according to an essay she wrote for partner blog Wise Bread.
"The travel experience is just not as lonely as driving because there are other people with you," writes Lu, who sometimes chats with the driver or "random people."
I do that, too, and sometimes random people talk to me. Earlier this year a young man saw me reading my "Pasajes: Literatura" textbook and asked if I were a teacher. We chatted for a few minutes and he told me, "You're the only white person I ever met who tried to learn Spanish."
Last week a developmentally disabled woman told me about her favorite TV programs (game shows), her love life (she just broke up with her boyfriend) and how she takes Metro anywhere she wants.
At one bus stop, I saw a couple of unshaven guys in their late 50s, dressed in trashed jeans and ragged shirts. On the bench between them was a programmable keyboard. One of the guys switched it on and a pre-programmed backbeat started tapping away. With one finger, the other guy began picking out the old Carpenters hit, "Top of the World."
Then the two started singing, with more fervor than pitch: "I'm on the top of the world, looking down on creation and the only explanation I can fiiind, is the love that I've found, ever since you've been around, your love's put me at the top of the world."
One of the guys looked at me and grinned. "I love these things," he said. "They play themselves!"
Public transit is great for saving money or helping the environment. But if you want to write a novel, start riding the bus. There is no better place to pick up subplots or dialogue. Or backbeats.
