Notes from a Public Transportation Junkie

I realized that getting rid of my car was completely doable after trying out some public transportation last year. Greyhound travels all over the United States, and not just to the big cities. Last summer while visiting family in New England I took a bus from New Haven, Connecticut to Keene, New Hampshire. In between, the bus stops included large cities like Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts, but even sleepy spots like a convenience store in Brattleboro, Vermont. And the cost was about $35.

I live in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and started traveling to Jacksonville a few months ago, once or twice a week. I discovered there is a bus offered by the Council on Aging that takes commuters all the way to Rosa Parks Station for $1 each way. From there, I can take a Jacksonville city bus nearly anywhere, for $1.50. When you enter the transit station you will see several people wearing yellow transit uniforms – these are your go-to guys for helping you get on the right bus. There’s a rack of schedules for each route and they’re very easy to understand.

But here are some even more new things I discovered about the Jacksonville bus system: If you need a ride to or from a place where there is no bus stop, you can call and request a ride; the cost is only $2. You can also tell the bus driver as you get on that you’d like him to stop at a non-designated location along the route. The Skyway traverses the city, from Rosa Parks to the Prime Osborne Convention Center, and across the St. Johns River into San Marco, running every 7-10 minutes, and it’s free!

My favorite place in Jacksonville is the Riverside area, and there’s a trolley that runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., with its stop near Central Station, that costs $1.50. To get down to the Metropolitan Park area, where I’ve been working on a project, I can take the Tallyrand Community Shuttle directly to my destination, for $1.50. And if you want to see just how much money public transportation will save you, visit www.jtafla.com  -  there is place where you can punch in information about your car, how many miles you drive it, and the present cost of gas - it will tell you how much money you can save each year using public transportation.