Traveling to and from school was a struggle for me for a few years. My first year of college, I had a hard time taking the bus everyday. It took me between an hour to an hour and a half to bus from my house to the school because of where I happen to live, so it having such a long travel time was a big adjustment.
Through my second and third years of college, I learned to enjoy taking the bus. I had at least two hours every day where there was absolutely no expectation for me to get anything done. I had no responsibility and no where to be. Still, sometimes it felt like I was wasting a lot of time. I budgeted out how much it would cost for me to drive to school, and it was completely unaffordable, and I knew it would be a lot more harsh on the environment. So, I stuck with the bus.
At the end of my third year, a classmate moved to a location that put me right on her route to school. She is reliable and attends class regularly, so I knew I would have regular transportation. She offered to carpool with me to the school, and I couldn’t say no. I still bus a few times a week when we have group meetings or other appointments that interrupt our regular schedule, but I also save a lot of time carpooling when I can. Plus, the recent change in bus schedules allows me to get home in about 45 minutes now, compared to the 1-1.5 hour commute before. My financial contribution to the carpooling and extra bus tickets save me money, and I get a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning.
Mixing carpooling and bussing has been a great way for me to have time, money, and reduce my impact on the environment. If I can find someone in my class of 30 to carpool with, imagine how many other people in the school, or even city would be in a similar situation. If only we had a tool to help us find these people…. Just kidding, we do. Visit gotravelwise.ca