John Hendow

Riding the bus isn’t particularly delightful under the best of conditions. My morning commute involves searching for parking at an already overcrowded park-and-ride lot (at 6:45 AM!), waiting for the bus to show up, and then a mad scramble to get a seat before they’re all full. Today I was one of the unlucky people standing during the commute. On an articulated bus the entire structure tends to oscillate and bounce; if you’re standing you will be thrown around for 30 minutes while the beastly vehicle rumbles toward Seattle. Many of my fellow commuter seem perpetually sick, and their coughing / sneezing makes me wish I could hold my breath indefinitely. Ah… the smells… the noise… the physical thrashing… these kinds of experiences leave me wondering if there isn’t a better way to get to work in the morning. I know the bus is the better choice for the sake of the environment, and I do want to support the Metro system though ridership. But at the same time I feel it could be better.