It seems like on paper it makes a long day when I leave at 8 AM to get to work at 9 AM, and then leave work at 5 PM to get home at 6:15 PM based on the the time to transfer, the slow speed of the local bus, and differences between the schedules. When it really is in reality at 15 to 20 minute drive to work or a 45 minute bike ride. Time is money, as they say. And it goes both ways.
The daily bus fare both ways is $2.60 with my CDTA Swiper card, the rate it has been since 2009, though they are talking about raising fares in the coming year. The shuttle is free. Gas alone would be far more, especially with my big jacked up truck. And then there would be more maintaince and repair costs, along with the constant risk of tickets and violations driving back and forth to work. Water Street and Erie Boulevard are hardly smooth roads, they revival some of the crap roads I drive in Adirondack Backcountry.
Yet, somehow at least in my mind, it sort of makes sense. I avoided driving in the snow storm on Tuesday, then the rest of the week I didn’t have to dig out my truck much less warm it up each morning before driving back and forth. The slow pace of the bus gave me a lot of time to read the many e-books I have out from the library, and it gave me that 1/2 mile walk inside each way from the Capitol to bus turn around, then a half hour walking laps in the Plaza in the evening before catching the local bus home. It was time that would otherwise be wasted driving back and froth to work, or just spent in my cold apartment with the heat kept at 50 degrees.
6:15 PM wasn’t that much later then the 6 PM is when I ride home from work, figuring that I don’t necessarily leave work right at 5 PM and there is delays due to traffic or peddling slowly up the incline out of the Norman’s Kill Hollow. Back when there express bus was an option, I would get home at 5:45 PM, which admitly is earlier bus no time walking in the Concourse, getting my steps in. And maybe I’d get home at 5:30 or 5:40 PM driving, but often that is delayed with rush hour traffic.
At times, I feel like I am totally out of my mind to take the bus back and forth to work, and transferring to the shuttle to get to suburban office in Menands. Time wise it’s inefficient, local city buses are primarily there for those without an option to drive, such as their too young or elderly, too poor or disabled. Drunks, drug addicts and the colored ride the bus. Not mid-level agency directors, who oversee a data division and can afford to drive their own vehicle to work.
But I hate dealing with traffic, the stop and go, the annoyance of bad drivers and waiting for the light to turn green. When I ride the bus, the driver takes care of that all. The bus and shuttle is warm when I get on it, and with real-time bus tracking I can avoid standing out for any length of time. It’s better for the environment to ride the bus, and better for my health as it forces me to build in time walking in a warm space in the Emperor’s Plaza. The bus ride also is forced time, that used wisely can be used for reading and study, that might otherwise be wasted at home. And it saves money, which I can invest into my future all while I am learning by spending more time on bus reading.
Next week, should the weather be better and with my bike tire patched, I’ll go back at least some times riding my bike to work. Probably take Corning’s Hill as the bike path is snow covered, and still need to take that local bus home as it’s too dark to safely ride all the way home. Maybe I should drive to work, as there is acres at suburban office, and that’s what virtually everybody else does, but I am stubborn. Maybe I will drive in if I need to get groceries. But I’m waiting for nicer weather when I can ride both ways, virtually every day.