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!