I may be wrong, but I don’t think we have mass transportation figured out in Central Texas. We love our SUV’s and Ford F150 pickup trucks. They line our highways and tollways, with only a few random “Smart” cars sprinkled in like the toy prize in a Cracker Jacks box.
Austin, TX has a light rail system but it doesn’t run to my suburban area. A commuter bus service picks up and drops off near my home. I’ve often thought I might enjoy catching the bus into town. I envisioned writing or reading a book for the 1 to 1 ½ trip to the office. I was unsure of the bus route, so didn’t know if it would be convenient.
I never got around to checking the route or the schedule but each time I saw the commuter bus moving through traffic, I remembered I wanted to find out more.
So when our vehicle decided to stop running, mid-commute on Friday, we checked it into the auto hospital and decided it was time to take the commuter bus. It’s odd. When we travel to other cities, we ride buses, subways, trains and take taxis. It’s never an issue and we are completely comfortable. But something about having to catch the last bus home became worrisome. The published route and fares were listed on the website, but there were few specifics. The bus stop was a short ¾ mile from my office and less than ¼ mile from my husband’s office. The last bus left Austin at 6:20 PM. We gave ourselves over an hour to get to the stop so we had have plenty of time. We were unsure if the bus accepted cash or tokens.
A quick call to the Capitol Metro office and answered my questions. The representative assured me payment could be cash as long as the change was exact and the total fare was 4.75 per person. The website listed the price as 3.50, so I was glad I’d checked.
My husband and I arrived at the stop by 5:30 PM, well before departure. We bought a bottle of water from a downtown grocer so we would have exact change. A Starbucks sat on one corner and a Which Wich on the opposite; but we sat on a bench outside, around the corner from the bus stop to watch for the 990 commuter to arrive. Dusk settled as professional workers heading home gave way to Austin night life spilling across the sidewalk.
A few minutes after 6:00 PM, we relocated to the stop in hopes our bus might arrive early. It was a bit nippy but not too uncomfortable as we waited. After thirty minutes, a plethora of city buses lumbered past but no 990 commuter bus among them.
Around 6:40 PM our bus finally arrived. Four of us waited to board by the time it slowed and stopped. On board we began inserting dollars into the machine. The driver stopped us when we had deposited 7.00 dollars. The fare really was only 3.50 each. What a nice surprise!
We stopped four times before we reached our destination. The bus picked up and dropped off a few passengers before our journey ended. Commuting on the bus wasn’t quite what I had pictured. My fantasy, of a slow lumbering train ride, soft comfortable seats with low lighting wasn’t completely accurate. The ride was nice, if a little bumpy. We arrived in a reasonable time frame and it was comfortable. Would I ride it again? Yes…. But not every day just yet!
Nana's Apron Strings 