Thursday, May 31, 2007

There's a New Hero in Town

Look! On that bus! It's a boy! No! He's wearing a tie - it's a man! It's "Super Bus Boy" Man!

That's right, folks!

Starting in the month of June, I will be riding the bus every day to and from work. Why? Have you ever actually sat down and figured out what it costs to drive every day? Just for giggles and grins, check this little commute calculator out:

http://www.mycommute.org/site/options/calculator

So, let's see...$1700+ annually to drive or $396 annually to ride the bus...

My work place sells monthly bus passes at a discount, so I save even more (ends up being $366/year). Not only that, I contacted my auto insurance company and told them I wouldn't be driving as much and got a little over $100 off my annual bill...not much, but it all adds up.

It's not just economics either. I'm not a die-hard environmentalist, but probably much more than your typical white, christian, Republican male. There is a certain amount of hypocrisy in American culture - especially when it comes to environmental issues. I'll just do my part and let everyone else worry about themselves.

But what about the actual experience of riding the bus? The bus stops are a block from my home and a block from work - it doesn't get much better than that. The mornings are great, I catch the very first bus run (5:50AM), so it is usually empty or nearly so. The afternoons...? Well, I get off work at 3PM so the buses are usually hot and crowded with punk kids and a general mass of unhappy people. Still, it's nothing that "Super Bus Boy" Man can't handle!

2 comments:

Truth & Other Lies said...

I didn't realize the difference in cost between driving a car and taking a bus could be so much. Nice catch on the insurance thing.

Huni said...

hey! I ride the bus too! Although I'm lucky enough to work for a company that gives free bus passes (for a year!). M and I will also be taking the bus to her cheerleading class this summer. I like the bus... though it does seem the busses I have historically taken are the ones that the people with questionable behavior also take. Oh well... makes for some interesting people watching (or I take along my IPCA.. Intra-Personal Communication Avoider aka book)