Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Once a Year

In an odd way, I look forward to it every year.  Let me back up a moment.

My yearly car inspection is due in November, and I had my appointment at my car dealer yesterday.  I made that appointment last week.  Yesterday was the day I took off in exchange for pulling an extra day of hurricane duty a couple weeks ago.

The car passed a way too expensive inspection.  Thank you, governors Ridge, Rendell, and Corbett.

As is my habit, I drop off the car at the dealer in the morning.  A shuttle service provided by the dealer takes me home.  The dealer calls when the car is done and, even though the dealer offers a ride back downtown, I take a COLTS bus to pick up my car.

Today's blog is about the bus ride.  I've written about MBWA again recently.-- management by walking around.   More experiences make you a better reporter, and I enjoy taking mass transit once in a while.

Other than the fare increasing 25 cents, it was your standard and dependable COLTS bus ride. The bus was clean and warm.  The ride was smooth, and I always marvel at how the bus driver can fit the bus through the tiniest of spaces around Regional Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton.  $ 1.50 is a bargain.

The bus was eight minutes late at my stop.  It's not that big of a deal.  It was chilly, but the sun was out, and we all remember what happened to the last guy who made public transportation run on time.

The bus was crowded, and what does that tell us?  There are many options.  Let's discuss.  Mass transit is popular because it's a cheap and dependable way to get around?  Mass transit is a good alternative because of the high price of gasoline?   The economy is bad and people can't afford cars?  The economy is improving, and more people need to get to more places?

I didn't see any suits and ties on the bus, so you know in what direction I'm heading.

Even if you ride the bus only once a year, as I do, you can see it's importance to so many people.