Tales from the bus

Halfway through my first week ever of riding Metro to work, here are a few observations:

*You never know who'll show up on a bus. This morning I climbed on to find a Channel 12 news team on board. I tried hiding behind my newspaper. Really, we news types aren't trying to hijack your ride, Route 3X regulars. You're just way ahead of the rest of us on saving on fuel and being environmentally responsible. So thanks.

*It seems that the most common topic of conversation on the bus is. . . the bus. Riders like to talk about the routes, their strategies for dealing with missed buses and bad weather, how much money they're saving, the friends they've met literally along the way.

*Riders and drivers are very tolerant of first-timers. Once when I was in Chicago, I tried to put a dollar in a slot for bus passes. The young, incredibly rude driver slammed his hand down on it and screamed at me. Yikes -- hop on board. Metro drivers have greeted me, thanked me, briefly explained my afternoon pick-up spot and gently reminded me that, on my return route, I pay before I get off, not upon boarding. And my fellow passengers -- hey, I like these people so much I wish I worked with them! One may give my son Chinese lessons; another has turned into an email pal.

*OK so my express route from the northern part of Hamilton County isn't a typical ride. Still, it blasts the myth that bus-riding carries some kind of social stigma. I ride with brief cases, backpacks, really expensive haircuts and tattoos. The one thing my fellow passengers have in common is that they're smart enough to take public transportation, and they don't seem to care what anybody else thinks about it.

*I can save more than $1,200 this year by taking the bus, as well as 7,000 miles on my car. I have become my own economic stimulus package. . .