Friday, May 19, 2006

Trying My Best To Do Something Good

I am trying out bus/bike commuting. A 3 mile ride to the bus station then riding the bus to the Galleria Mall in Taunton, Ma. The mall is around 30 miles from my home, and a quarter of a mile from where I usually leave my auto when I do a drive/ride commute. An 11 mile ride to the office, completes the inbound leg.

The bus fare is $32, soon to increase to $35 for a 10 ride book of passes. The clincher is the bike cost. The bus company charges $1 each way for a bike. The rider loads and unloads their bike under the bus in the luggage compartment. The driver never leaves his seat. The fare increase will also have a $1 increase in the bike fare. Out of curiosity, I called and asked "how much extra to transport a baby stroller in the luggage compartment?" "No charge" said the person at the company. "How about luggage?". "No charge". Hmmmmm. I will place a call to the company manager Monday to see what can be done about the bike charge.

$20/week is very close to a tank of gasoline, added to the $35 for the bus fare makes taking the bus foolishly expensive, even calculating for wear and tear.

The drive/ride option is a 5:30AM-6:00PM affair. The bus/ride is 5:00AM-6:40PM commute. An added hour a day is not much to ask to help save the world. Taking advantage financially of someone doing that, may be.

Monday, after speaking with Bob Hopewood, I will make a decision.

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