Chrissaire

Yesterday afternoon I took the bus to meet Christian at Super Target down University Parkway.  And since the distance from Siesta Key to my destination is about 12.4 miles and there is no direct bus route from my place to Target, then I had to endure two bus trips.  I don’t mind that at all.  Since I started commuting last April I have always enjoyed my time in the bus- be it long or brief.  And in this case, I sat on the bus for approximately 63 minutes.

Taking the bus for me is fulfilling.  I was so happy the very first time I sat on a bench waiting for my bus ride.  In that well-paved sidewalk on the side of Beach Road, I felt like I was in one of those American movies.  I savored the moment of sitting there alone with a grin painted across  my face as I realized that I was there on time.  I was anxious.  Waiting can be worthwhile too.  And once I saw the bus at a distance, anxiety evolved into ecstasy.  Finally here it comes!

Taking the bus gave me that sense of independence.  Since I learned and acquired the guts to travel all by myself, I felt that I am not tied up to something.  I didn’t have to depend on my husband’s schedule just so he can drive me.  I felt self-reliant.  I can go wherever I want to as long as I have my three quarters (good for one ride) with me.  I became at home.  With the bus, I have established a connection to the city where I am living.  I felt comfortable because I feel like everyone I meet is my friend.

Apart from the inner gratification, taking the bus is also a good thing for our budget.  If not for this public transport, either Mom or Dad (or Chris, when he is not working) would be compelled to drive me somewhere.  But because taking the bus is a very sound option, I still enjoyed the comfort of an aircondition like I am in my own car without having to worry about spending too much on expensive gas.

Here in Sarasota, we have SCAT or Sarasota County Area Transit.  With the economy in crisis, I noticed that the county took an extra mile to improve its services.  Although in some routes like Bus 11 here in Siesta Key bus only comes every hour, still we are pampered to have a new hybrid bus at our convenience.  These and all other buses used by the county are all elderly and disabled accessible.  Also, bike racks are situated in front of the buses for those people who take their bikes to commute.  And if a person will be taking a connecting ride and he is scared that he cannot catch the next bus because of just a short time differential, then all he has to do is approach the driver and inform him of his connecting bus.  The driver in his part will contact the other bus driver so they can both make trip adjustments.

I am sure this is not just in Sarasota.  Local governments are aware that public transport is a way to go to lessen the number of cars running on the road.  They know that this is a good alternative to driving ones own car.  But then again, just here in Sarasota still not a big number of people are taking the bus.  Whatever their reasons are, it all has something to do with priority and sacrifice.  And if you are to ask me, these people lost alot.  They’d abdicated their chance of saving dollars on gas…possible friendships that could have been…and awareness that truly it is possible to live without a car once in a while.

Tags: bike, bus, car, county, disabled, economy, elderly, gas, gas price, Sarasota, SCAT

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 3:39 pm and is filed under My Journey, society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.