BUSted

“Was it ever worth it?

Was there all that much to gain?

Well we knew we missed the boat,

and we’d already missed the plane.”

“Missed the Boat” – Modest Mouse

 

With some exceptions, driving/parking as an off-campus student can be tough. That is, unless, you have a reasonably-sized car, a reasonably-suburbanized house location, and relatively agreeable housemates/landlords who are willing to allocate (or share) space for your vehicle on the property. But even if all these factors are working in your favor, campus parking passes can cost you over $200.

 

That’s why I love the bus system.

 

The Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority (PVTA) has seven main bus routes that students can use for free, and only one–the Blue 43–requires you to present a Five College ID to override the fare. All others are open to anyone and, though a small victory, spend less time at each bus stop because no one needs to take the time to locate and present a card or count change.

The routes run all over Amherst, with buses specializing in certain areas, from the Northern Amherst housing communities (like Puffton Village and Hobart Lane) to the eastern reaches bordering Belchertown (so that even students located far east in town can get as far as they need to go).

Google Maps also has a cool feature on its app that tells you how many minutes before the bus arrives that you should leave your house in order to make it to the bus stop on time. (This is a handy feature, but I think it’s always wise to tack on another minute or two to get to the bus stop.)

Some buses, like the 31 on weekdays, arrives at a bus stop every 15 minutes. On this route, if you happen to miss the bus you wanted and you’re not running too late, it’s probably within reason to wait for the next one. However, buses with longer routes, like the 38, don’t come as often. It’s important to be careful with timing when it comes to any bus, but particularly with a route like this.

To those unfamiliar with relying on public transit, the bus–where strangers are in close proximity to one another and might even attempt to converse–may seem strange or inconvenient. But it’s a small price to pay–technically the smallest price, since it’s free–for getting to class on time, taking the stress of driving off your shoulders, and being able to save gas money for other trips and purposes.

Here, Modest Mouse honestly seems to hear the complaints of having to take the bus. But, “look,” they’re saying, “was it ever worth it” to groan about the transportation that ultimately got you where you needed to be? It’s not a time to complain; it’s a time to be grateful for the resources we have available to us and not nitpick the details that make our commutes–or conversations, or “alone time”–slightly different.