photo courtesy of rtd-denver.com So I made my maiden voyage on bus route 100 this morning, an RTD bus that takes me from very near my home to the office. It literally drops me off at the back entrance! I am ashamed I did not research this sooner but I knew the earliest I could have taken a bus to the office was March of this past year. So, 2 months later is not so late to discover this. Thanks to others in the office, I learned of a government subsidy for using public transportation as well – you only get bus vouchers and not cash but what a great deal! If I can use the bus even 12 times a month, I get the 25 vouchers to use and the best part is – they are free!
With gas approaching $4.00 a gallon I am surprised more people do not use public transportation. I was the only one who boarded the bus at my neighborhood and for miles and miles, there were only three or four passengers max. I am also surprised that we are not building metros and lightrails more as well. I do understand that people think their time is more important than money but the environment is a concern too. If you are dropping off kids at school or daycare, the bus is not convenient and if you have the walk a few miles or switch buses often, the bus may not be the best deal going but, I found it a relaxing experience. When I first got on, I had plans to play Sudoku, read, listen to music, make a shopping list, and perhaps sleep but I realized it was a little too shaky and stop and go for me to do much. On the way home, it was even worse because the driver kept braking and accelerating and braking. Woh! I did listen to music which helped and enjoyed the scenery around me. I read a few pages in Parents Magazine but had to keep looking up and around. It was not boring per se because people watching was fun but I can see how it can get old.
The bus did take quite a strange route too – it ended up on Kipling in 25 minutes – the same location it takes me 10 minutes to get to. It took 42 minutes EXACT from the time it picked me up to drop me off at the stop near my office. I spent 20 minutes more than I would have driving but I saved about $0.50 in gas this trip. I usually commute 11-13 miles depending on the route I take one-way so this seemed like a good deal at least until we can get through this oil crisis. I have decided to try to take it three times a week and the two times I do drive in a week, I will try to take care of errands and what not on those days or wait til the weekends. Public transportation is not for everyone but it is quite a God send to those who need it and have to use it – it gets you from point A to point B and if you qualify for discounts, it saves a person tons of money as well. As cars whizzed and whirred by us on the bus, I could not help but wonder if a day will come when we will all have to take public transportation or ride more fuel efficient modes of transportation. At $4.00 a gallon, we are not too far away from that possibility.
