Lord, Mr Ford! (Riding the bus)

When I was in college about 20 years ago, I thought it would be great to graduate, and then teach in a smaller community somewhere in the inter-mountain west, in a place small enough that I would not have to own and operate an automobile.  I was enamored of the idea that I could save thousands of dollars a year by not having the associated expenses of car ownership -- not to mention the health benefits of walking and cycling. 

So far, since I've not made it out of the Phoenix-metro area, I never got to put this idea into practice.  But every once in a while, (despite my love of the automobile), I remember this is something I wanted to try.  Yesterday, my beast of a pick-up had to go to the shop and I found myself on public transport and on foot.  I have two motorcycles in the garage, of course, but I bought a bus pass that was good all day and I decided to use it to fullest advantage. After all, I am a cheapskate, skinflint, so-tight-I-sqeak-when-I-walk descendant of Scotsmen.

Ka-Ching!

So, I dropped off the truck at the shop and caught the bus home.  Later, I had a doctor's appointment and I used the bus system to get to that. Today, I hopped on bus #138 to get to the Safeway store and back.

Living like that would take some adjustment and it just isn't possible with my current job (as the bus schedules are not at all convenient between home and the office).  But, if that changes, as it easily could, I think I could actually live a greener life by not having the infernal internal combustion machines in the driveway. 

It takes a little longer to get places on the bus, so I'd have to be more thoughtful about trip planning.  But that's a fairly simple lifestyle change and I could do it if I thought I was gaining enough of a benefit. It probably wouldn't be as earth-shaking a change as I have imagined. The mass-transit life-style is as common as hamburger in other areas of this country (in a large Eastern city like New York, for example).  I'd live longer and I am OK with that. 

And think of all the extra money I'd have to eat out on!