Day One

I've always said I was a fan of public transportation, and the recent rise in gas prices got me thinking. Why not lower my carbon footprint and take the bus?

Growing up in suburban Chicago, we'd never drive downtown -- the train was so much more convenient.

So I decided to put my beliefs into action. Well, try an experiment, anyway.

The search started by searching online for Triangle Transit schedules. They were easy enough to find and understand, and by getting up about twenty minutes early, I arrived at the bus stop in plenty of time to get my first bus.

I kept checking my watch. Was the bus really going to arrive? Then, only about three minutes after the scheduled time, a bus pulled up. I double checked my destination with the driver, which was a good thing. It was the right bus route number, but the bus was going in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later, the right bus arrived. It took me a minute to figure out how to get my money in the slot, but I managed and the helpful bus driver informed me that for $4, I could ride the bus all day! What a deal, too bad I had to go to work.

It was a Monday, and the bus was fairly empty. I looked around. The bus was in good shape, with colorful, clean seats and a good driver. The rest of the ride was uneventful -- Raleigh looks quite interesting from the window of the bus.