April 09, 2008 News & Views » Cover

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Diary of a CATS rider 

The true tale of a commuter who ditched her car to ride public transportation for five days — and lived to talk about it

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click to flip through (3) JASIATIC - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM: A CATS bus prior to being boarded by passengers
  • Jasiatic

  • THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM: A CATS bus prior to being boarded by passengers

   

Page 3 of 6

"That's crazy," a man interjects.

"Yeah," the older lady says. "You have to get on the No. 10, then get on the light rail and then take a bus to get to Pineville."

"So, the other bus doesn't come in to the neighborhood anymore?"

"Nah. They want everybody to get on the train," she rails.

The bus finally makes it through the NASCAR museum construction zone and back to the transit center. The No. 13 is waiting in Bay A and I think this is going to be a pretty good ride back to work. I just wish I hadn't worn these silver boots; my feet are killing me!

March 18

I'm not cheating today. Well, not really. I've decided to do the park-and-ride thing. That's because once again, I didn't get up early enough to walk to the bus stop. My bad.

It's a few minutes after 8 a.m. when I dash to my car and realize that if I were driving to work, I'd be there in 15 minutes.

But I'm taking the bus. I park my car at the park-and-ride location and walk up to the bus stop. I just missed the damned bus. The next one won't be along for another 30 minutes. The wind is cold this morning, ripping through me like a pickpocket. Damn, I wish I had some hot coffee. I see a bus; it's the 23 Grier Heights one. I ask the driver, "Are you going downtown?"

"No," he replies nicely. "The No. 9 should be behind me."

"Thanks."

The No. 9 (Central Avenue) is about 10 minutes behind the Grier Heights bus. The wind has picked up, and it's colder than a witch's tit. When the bus arrives, it's half full, and the people waiting at the stop with me pretty much fill it up. Despite the fact that it's almost 9 a.m. there are a lot of young people who look as if they should be in school instead of riding the bus. Hell, I should be at work.

Taking a seat on the bus, I look around at the people on the bus. The mornings on the bus are filled with a cross section of the Charlotte community: mothers with young babies heading to the doctor, blue collar workers holding their hard hats, men with court cases and a couple of Midwood High School students. We all have one thing in common this morning: We're all late.

And for whatever reason, the lady driving this bus is not very nice. Then again, neither are many of the passengers.

A group of guys step on the bus, and one of them recognizes a friend sitting near the front.

"What's up, man," he says, slapping palms with his buddy.

"Where you headed?"

"To court man. This is some bullshit. If I get locked up, I'm going to fucking go off."

"Sir," the driver says, annoyed and not trying to hide it, "can you watch your language? If I can hear you, you are entirely too loud."

"What?" Mr. On-My-Way-To-Court snaps. "Anyway." He continues his profanity-laced conversation about his court case. Two older women sitting next to the young men blanch every time he drops an "F" bomb. Even my ears are ringing.

"I asked you nicely the first time," the driver bellows. I guess she's not that bad after all.

I look up at the clock on the bus after it makes another stop. I've been riding this thing for 26 minutes and haven't made it into Uptown yet. I really could've made it to work on time if I had been driving. But at least I'm saving money, right?

Finally, we're at the transit center. Mr. On-My-Way-To-Court gets off the back of the bus, not walking by the driver. One of the older women who had been cringing at his conversation, thanks the bus driver for trying to calm the situation.

The driver simply nods in response. While I'm all for this little exchange, I need these people to get out of my way so I can catch the Graham Street bus. At least, I think that's the right bus.

The No. 22 (Graham Street) is right there waiting. It's fate. I'm only going to be a few more minutes then I'll be at work. It's nearly 9:30 a.m., and I'm beyond late. This bus is nearly empty and the seat choices are prime. I take a spot near the window and notice that people in the cars kind of sneer at bus riders. Maybe when you're looking down in the cars, the huge, streaked windows give you a forlorn look, but do drivers have to be so nasty? I'm also trying to understand why Charlotte's transit system isn't like other cities, where many people take public transportation because they want to. Then again, the way the buses run around this city, I see why people don't want to get on them. For instance, I'm on the Graham Street bus. I work off Graham Street, but why is this bus passing where I need to go. What the fuck is going on?

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