Jun 9th, 2023 Friday Sunny
I run after the bus a lot.
That is to say, the situation that I have to hurry in order to catch a bus happens with some regularity. It does not mean that I like running after the bus, yet I do it often.
I think this results from my habit of cutting things close, and my reluctance to passively wait without doing anything. If I arrive at the bus stop, but the bus does not appear until five minutes later, I would find those five minutes a waste of time, and mentally adjust the actual time that I need to be at the bus stop next time.
Whenever I search for a place to rent or buy, being close to a bus line is an important factor, maybe because I grew up in a city where public transportation was the means of getting around for most people. After I came here, I also relied on buses to take me everywhere, and I appreciated the easiness of riding the bus – unlike where I used to live, buses here have a schedule to follow, so I can better plan my trip. Even after buying a car, I still take the bus to go to school/work, which saves a lot on the cost of gases, car maintenance, and parking.
That is partly why we decided to buy our current house – there is a bus stop right across the street from our front yard, and the bus goes straight to the downtown area where we both work, pretty much door to door. The walking time for this commute was less than three minutes. Driving was seldomly necessary, since the total commute time by car including finding parking and walking (there is no way I can park right in front of my workplace in downtown area) was the same as that by bus, and I obviously could not nap while driving 😛
Unfortunately, this convenience was killed during the pandemic. Due to low ridership (most people work from home), the bus route was cancelled and never brought back. The best option would be to take a different bus that still travels downtown, but I need to walk about ten minutes across two busy roads.
This daily stroll is supposed to be twelve minutes each way according to google. If I use a combination of shortcuts and jaywalking, then I finish it in ten. If I run a little bit, I can get to my destination in eight minutes; and if I run most of the way, I can be there in six ?
Honestly, the first time of visiting my office after the pandemic, I used caution and showed up with plenty of extra time. Then I realize that the bus is consistently late (usually between two to five minutes than the scheduled time, sometimes even more), which set my mental timer further and further back. For example, I used to make it a rule that I must finish my breakfast by 8:57, leave home by 9:00, then be at the bus stop by 9:12 (scheduled time is 9:16). Now I often finish my breakfast by 9:04, leave home by 9:10, and be at the bus stop by 9:16. As a consequence, while I still make it onto the bus 99.9% of the time (in over a year I only missed it three times), I ended up running after it almost daily.
Can I plan more buffer time so running is not inevitable? Sure, but every single minute I can linger in my warm blanket in the morning is precious – don’t you agree?
Lucky for me, the direct route will be brought back in a transit redesign, effective this Sunday. Perhaps my days of running after the bus will eventually come to an end.
I am looking forward to napping on the bus again 😉