The 40 foot limo
I have a love-hate relationship with the bus. No, that's not quite true - mostly, I just hate the bus. I know Ottawa has a really good bus system compared to some other cities, and the bus I catch half a block from my front door leaves me within a 10 minute walk to work. Even though two hours of commuting each day eats a big chunk of my already precious time, it does let me indulge in the morning paper on the way to work, and both a soduko and crossword puzzle, or a few chapters of whatever else I can lay my hands on, during the ride home.
Of course, I can also feel smugly superior to all those commuters sitting by themselves in their cars, wasting fossil fuels zipping past me as I shiver in the rain at the bus stop in the pre-dawn darkness, waiting for a bus that may or may not show up but secure in the fact that I am doing my part to reduce air pollution and improve the global environment. Wetly.
This morning, I am having my picture taken for a new bus pass they've introduced. The EcoPass lets you buy an annual transit pass through payroll deductions, saving 15% off the monthly pass price. I like the idea of saving a few clams ($144 a year on an $80 monthly pass), but I really love the idea that I'll no longer be hunting for loose change to use as bus fare because it's the first of the month and I forgot to queue up and buy my pass again.
The irony is that they're talking about a transit strike some time in the near future. I'm sure the suburban commuter runs are not among the priority routes that will be staffed by managers in the case of a strike, so I've got to do some contingency planning this morning. While I kind of like the idea of working from home on the three days each week that the boys are at daycare and Beloved is teaching (a full eight hours in a completely empty house - I whimper at the mere thought of it), I don't forsee a terribly productive day if we're all stuck in the house together.
Maybe I can take a page from Ann's notebook and head to the localStarbucks Tim Horton's to get some work done. Now that's a plan I can work with!
Do you rely on public transit? How is the transit system where you live? Anybody got room for a stranded commuter from Barrhaven?
Of course, I can also feel smugly superior to all those commuters sitting by themselves in their cars, wasting fossil fuels zipping past me as I shiver in the rain at the bus stop in the pre-dawn darkness, waiting for a bus that may or may not show up but secure in the fact that I am doing my part to reduce air pollution and improve the global environment. Wetly.
This morning, I am having my picture taken for a new bus pass they've introduced. The EcoPass lets you buy an annual transit pass through payroll deductions, saving 15% off the monthly pass price. I like the idea of saving a few clams ($144 a year on an $80 monthly pass), but I really love the idea that I'll no longer be hunting for loose change to use as bus fare because it's the first of the month and I forgot to queue up and buy my pass again.
The irony is that they're talking about a transit strike some time in the near future. I'm sure the suburban commuter runs are not among the priority routes that will be staffed by managers in the case of a strike, so I've got to do some contingency planning this morning. While I kind of like the idea of working from home on the three days each week that the boys are at daycare and Beloved is teaching (a full eight hours in a completely empty house - I whimper at the mere thought of it), I don't forsee a terribly productive day if we're all stuck in the house together.
Maybe I can take a page from Ann's notebook and head to the local
Do you rely on public transit? How is the transit system where you live? Anybody got room for a stranded commuter from Barrhaven?
Said DaniGirl at 6:35 a.m. #
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