A resolution kept (at the moment)

At some point during the summer, I got it up my rear end, that I would take public transportation more often, specifically to and from work. For years, I have been paying lip service to the idea, but for some reason this fall, I finally got my act together and found out exactly how to do it, experimented a bit with different times and routes and have settled on a general plan of action. Now, for those of you familiar with the Bay Area and the BART system know there desparately needs to be a 30th and Mission BART station built. Right now, the system goes right past a major intersection a mere 2 blocks from my home but doesn't stop. This intersection is smack dab in between a long stretch between the 24th and Mission station and the Glen Park Station. There have been plans talked about for years, but I don't think I'll ever see it.

This being the case, getting to the 24th and Mission station is pretty simple by bus and takes about 15-20 minutes from my front door to the station and costs $1.50. I then take BART from 24th and Mission to the Fruitvale station. The BART fare is $3.20. From Fruitvale, there is an AC Transit bus (the 53) that runs every half hour to a stop a mere two blocks from school. This ride takes 17 minutes like clockwork and costs $1.50. So a roundtrip on public transportation is $12.40 a day, which is still more expensive than driving and takes about twice as long when there is no traffic.

So, I've instituted some time and cost saving measures to make it more time and economically efficient. Instead of taking the bus in SF, I drive the 3 minutes to an area about 3 blocks from the BART station and find parking. I take the bus uphill in the morning, but afterschool, I have been able to hitch a ride with any number of colleagues to a BART station and hopped the train home. Total cost = $7.90 which is easily cheaper than driving (which includes Bay Bridge tolls).

So, I haven't tooted my own horn yet in public, but I am doing so now. In the first month of school, I have taken public transportation to and from school 50% of the time. I have learned to build it into my day and it seems easy now. The only thing I have to even think about in the morning is whether or not I have a first period class and am I prepared for it. If I am, I catch any train around 7:15AM, catch the 8AM 53 bus and in my office getting ready for class at 8:25AM for an 8:35AM first period class. I have first period three days a week on Monday, Thursday and Friday. If I need to get to school early, back everything up either a half hour or full hour.