Why I don't ride the bus.

Okay, I realize that my carbon footprint is smaller than many people's. I recycle, use canvas bags, conserve energy and water, buy locally grown organic foods, do as little driving as I can... But I was reading Uneasy Rhetoric, and I always feel guilty for not riding the bus. Because I am basically one of those people who could practically get on a bus outside my front door and have it drop me off at work. So why don't I ride?

1: First, it's not exactly by my front door -- I would have to walk about 7 blocks to the light rail station and then 7 blocks home. Not awful, but it does add to the time involved in my commute.

2: Speaking of time, it takes just over 15 minutes for me to get to work right now in the car. The shortest time that light rail would take is 25 minutes, and that doesn't include the walk.

3: It would cost $4 per day to ride. That's $80 a month, or $85 for the convenience of the monthly pass, which means not having to carry around a wad of dollar bills every day. (Incidentally, aren't monthy passes supposed to save you money?) Compare this to the car: it's about 340 miles of driving each month, which is just over a tank of gas for me (approximately $30). Even if you add in the insurance, that's still only equivalent to the amount I'd be paying for mass transit. And I'd STILL have to pay the insurance, because I drive other places besides work. No matter how you figure it, mass transit costs more than driving.

4: Mass transit eliminates my ability to carry stuff to work, which I do a lot. Hey, I teach drama -- it's not unusual for me to be lugging a crate of fabric, a couple gallons of paint, and some lumber.

5: Mass transit severely restricts my ability to go other places after work, which in recent months have included the grocery store, places to pick up dinner, the post office, doctor's appointments, etc. Say I needed to go to the ultrasound I had recently -- it would have added about half an hour of travel time (which would have made me miss the appointment).

Are these surmountable? Sure. I could suck it up and pay more. I could plan ahead for appointments and hauling stuff and drive on those days. I could get up earlier and leave the house earlier. I could get home later and prepare dinner later (although Sweetie would probably object, since he's usually starving by the time I get dinner on the table as it is). But with all these things added together, it just doesn't really make sense to me. There's no appeal. Extra time to read on the train? Sure, but offset by the fact that I'd be surrounded by strangers, and let's be honest -- the second half of my commute would be on the Meadowview bound train through the worst part of South Sac. Not exactly a conducive atmosphere for quiet reading time. Anyway, I just wanted to throw in my two cents on why, inveterate hippie tree-hugger that I am, I will not be giving up my car and utilizing our public transit system.