The Wheels On The Bus Go 'Round And 'Round

I performed an experiment yesterday and took the bus to work. I'm seriously considering making it at least a part-time thing to take the bus, and possibly something I do all the time until I can get a more fuel-efficient vehicle. The main advantage of taking the bus is that it would cost, at most, $3.50 a day (less if I do it all the time and get a monthly pass), versus about $16 a day in gas to drive the Ramcharger. The disadvantage is that it would increase my total commute time, as it's about 65-70 minutes each way, versus 30-45 minutes each way if I drive it myself. So my commute time would nearly double.

This was borne out yesterday, as I awoke at 5:20 am so that I could get to the bus stop to catch the 6:16 am bus that would get me to work by about 7:25 am. Then I left work at 3:25 pm to catch the 3:31 bus (that actually came at about 3:35), so I could get back to the truck about 4:50 pm and get home about 5:00. That schedule obviously does not include a lunch break; it was a straight-through, 8-hour workday. So it made for a very long day, nearly 11 hours of commute and work time, all told.

I used to ride the bus all the time, so I figured all this wouldn't be too big a deal. However, the routes I rode before were all regional or express routes, with larger, more comfortable buses and fewer stops. This was a local route (albeit a LONG local route), so there were stops all over the place, the drivers drove like crazy, and I got a little nauseated on the ride. Once I get used to that, though, it shouldn't be too bad, aside from the extra lost time. Fortunately, I'm not teaching so my evening schedule isn't nearly as tight as it used to be. So anyway, wish me luck.

Thanks for reading along.