Okay, don't mind my enthusiasm but my car has broken down and I'm car-less for a few weeks. Having no car is actually a relief. I live one block from a CDTA bus that goes downtown, and there's a second bus that goes to my office on the westside. So, I'm finally back taking the bus.
It's great. I am pleasantly surprised at the level of ridership. Many Skidmore students, but others as well. According to one of the drivers, bus fees are included in tuition for Skidmore Students - so they just swipe their student ID and can ride - all prepaid. The driver also told me CDTA has a prepaid arrangement with SUNY Albany students, faculty and staff too, and since Empire State College is part of SUNY I will be looking in to see if ESC is covered.
Busing, biking, walking: I feel like I'm back to more of the style of living I am accustomed. When I was in grad school in Olympia, WA, I lived about 8 blocks from downtown and the main bus station. My grad school friends and I all took the bus - we were mostly in evening classes. Most of us worked at places downtown, then took the bus up to school. It was a great time to catch up, make plans for the weekend, while letting someone else drive.
I'm also walking so much more. Funny how my sense of what's in 'walkable' distance has changed. I live a 30 minute walk from downtown, and it's 55 mins to my office on the west side. I used to live 5 blocks from downtown, so walking was pretty quick. Now, with a bit more planning, I can get downtown or home - while getting great exercise.
The bus is $1.50 for a one-way ride (no such things as transfers on Saratoga CDTA routes); $4.00/day; or there's a monthly pass for $55 or $65 per month (5 day or 7 day/wk).
At first the cost seemed high to me, but then the bus driver reminded me I must have been 'stuck in the 80's and 90's' when it came to bus prices. He was right, it's been quite a few years since I've regularly used public bus transportation. But it feels great to be back using it. I'm aiming to continue busing, walking, and biking (when decent weather) - it really is more sustainable and great for my health! Hope you'll join me - or already have.
Let me just add, living w/o a car also takes some getting used to. Figuring out bus schedules, remembering to go to the grocery store when I'm in town, what to do when it's raining, how to get to that conference in Albany, etc etc. When our lives are so auto-centered, I am finding it takes time to adjust to a non-auto lifestyle. But I still say more of us should be walking/biking/busing more frequently.
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