I’ve been meaning to try the bus for a while now…
In our recent Dave Ramsey class, Dave was encouraging first time car buyers to purchase a car that has “personality”… something you can give a name to. My 1997 Ford Exploder, aptly named Pocahantas, or POCA for short (Piece Of Crap Automobile), certainly has tons of personality! It gets 12mpg (on a good day) and has some “enhancements” like doors that don’t open, lights that are controlled by a $3 self-installed switch on the dash, and a cracked windshield (among many others).
Well, today was the day. Due to car shuffling, I ended up at work without a car. Well, we INTENDED me to end up at work without a car. No going back! I got to work early so I could take the early bus back home. I knew where the bus stop was, I just didn’t know exactly how long it would take me to walk there. I figured 10-15 minutes. I gave myself 22 minutes. It took 14. So far, so good.
Not being the public transportation type, I had no idea how it worked. Well, sorta no idea. I read what I could online and prepped as well as I could. I thought I found the right bus! I walked on, asked the driver if he was headed to Olathe and he pointed North. Nope. Wrong bus. Then why has the same route number? I guess that route goes both ways…
I ended up on the right bus. And am discovering a few things…
- the bus is cooler than my non-air conditioned (another enhancement!) Exploder!
- i can actually work (like write this!) while traveling home
- the bus has stops, but, you can generally get on or off wherever it goes
- it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had thought it would be, the time goes by pretty quickly
- there’s an interesting variety of people who ride this thing
- it takes a LONG time
So, not sure I’ll continue to ride it. Saving half the expense of driving to work is certainly a bonus. As is the not having to think about driving/traffic/etc. Being able to use the time is cool too.
I wish there were a better route. But, with the “stops” wherever the bus goes thing, maybe I can find something that works better for me. I doubt it will be an everyday thing. I can’t stop by the store on the way home. And the time, yeah, it takes time. And I’m glued to their time schedule. We’ll see how it goes.
In the end, I walked out of the office at 4:23. I got to my destination at 5:37. However, that destination was at least 10 minutes away by bus from the closest stop to my house which is then another 10-15 minute walk from there. (I was picked up by a friend at a different stop to help run some errands). So, in all, it would take me 95-100 minutes for a trip that usually takes 20-25 minutes. That’s 4 TIMES LONGER! Of which at least 25 minutes is walking (I now have the shin splints to prove it). So, that’s certainly NOT cool.
Now a little photo journal that documented my time:
Waiting for the bus.
Hello Bus!
Gettin’ on the bus.
On the bus.
The Bus from my seat.
Missed a shot of my office.
Workin’ on the bus.
Hopefully we don’t have to use this.
Getting close to my destination.
Bye bye, bus!
