5 Reasons to Take the Bus to Work
For people who live in Marin and work in San Francisco here are 5 reasons to take a Golden Gate Transit bus to work.
- You can. If we don’t use our public transportation we might lose it.
- It’s better for the environment than driving in.
- Way cheaper than driving in. You only have to pay the bus fare, no bridge toll, no parking fee, no gas, no wear and tear on your car.
- Frees up your time to do other things. You can read, rest, text, work, check your Facebook, tweet, blog, space out, whatever – all sorts of things you can’t (or shouldn’t!) do while driving.
- It’s one of the most beautiful commutes in the world!
I know there are hundreds of excuses why not to take the bus to work but I challenge you to try it. Don’t forget we also have the awesome Golden Gate Ferry option!
A friend whom I adore once quoted Eleanor Roosevelt to me when I was making an excuse for not doing something. That quote has stuck with me for years.
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Yes, Marin is filled with many spandex wearing folks doing their part by commuting on a bike. I commend the cyclists. However, Marin is also full of very steep hills and not all of us have the strength to go up the hills or the guts to go down them on a bike. For the rest of us who are not triathletes , thankfully we have other options for getting around.
If you use some form of public or alternative transportation please leave a comment below sharing with others how you do it.
When you do start taking the bus here are some basic bus etiquette tips to follow.
Views from the bus
A year of photos from the bus: Google+ Album
I regularly post my early morning sunrise commute photos taken from the bus while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on Facebook.
Click ‘Like‘ to be a part of my morning commute fun. Thanks!
Im a AC Transit over in the East Bay myself. Imma have to break out my camera and do a “day in the life” post over at my blog.
Margaret that’d be great! If you do, come back here and leave the link to your day in the life post. 🙂
I so wish there were more public transit options within Marin itself. I’d use them … even though I just got a bike, but I don’t have the strength for going uphill, nor the courage for downhill – beside, the bus is more conducive to conversation, be it with fellow passengers or on social media, all of which helps build stronger communities. So yes, let’s ride the bus more often and to more places 🙂
Sally I agree with you 100%. It doesn’t get much better than going from Marin to San Francisco. I used live in Tiburon at the Cove by Blackie’s Pasture. I was doing some contract work in the city and I’d rollerblade to the ferry on the point and then ‘boat’ it to San Francisco.
It’s hard not to get fired up after that! Thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories 🙂
Maria – getting around Marin is a bit more challenging but it is doable to some places when combined with car/bike. Maybe one day we can do a bus ride field trip around Marin and see where it takes us. 🙂
Clay – the commute via the ferry is absolutely breathtaking! I’d take the ferry if it made sense but where I live it requires about a 15-20 minute drive to a ferry, where the bus is less than a 5 min drive down the hill and I usually hitch a ride w my partner who is on her way to Yoga at that hour and just happens to pass my stop.
Thanks for the comments!