One morning I woke up and said to myself, "The bus stops here." Well, actually it stops across the street, but I get a free pass through my job, so I have no excuse not to bus to work. If I drive, it takes about 35 minutes from door to desk. By bus, I need 45 minutes. Since I can read for at least half of the trip, I consider it time well spent.One paper I read recently on my commute said there are over 500 bus and transit projects ready to go as such as money from the economic recovery package is voted in. Groups like Reconnecting America advocate expanding and improving alternatives to driving not just to save gas but to promote renewal in cities and neighborhood. Walkable, transit-oriented, mixed use neighborhoods are the wave of the future.
One handy gadget to get you started is Long Beach Transit's new live bus tracking system. Through the website you can track any of Long Beach Transit's regular buses with a few clicks of your mouse. There’s a live map, but if you can’t be bothered downloading the SVG Adobe software, you can opt for live arrival times page. Choose the bus line and the direction and the stop and within seconds the next three arrival times will be listed. The prediction times are updated several times each hour, so they’re reliable. It’s up to you to predict how fast you can sprint down to the bus stop.
Allow plenty of time for your first trek because some time periods are more hectic than others. Many students take the bus, so if your bus goes by a school, keep that in mind. Boarding and disembarking for disabled people can take extra time too. But hey, the seats are comfortable and the views are great, so sit back and enjoy the ride.
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