Monday, February 24, 2014
UTA Ridin' - Greg Taylor
I took the bus bright and early with a lot of other travelers headed to work/school. I started in north Provo and rode the bus almost right to BYU. When I walked on it kinda felt like I was in another country. I was surprised by what looked to be an Indian or Middle Eastern population on the bus. As I thought about it, this kind of transportation is probably the most familiar to foreigners. Most places outside of the Utah and more so the U.S. use bus and train much more than cars. The smell inside the bus quickly took me to the city. Even though I was still in rural provo it had a big city smell. One thing that has always bugged me about UTA is how unhelpful the bus drivers are to new comers. During my freshman year of college I experimented with public transportation and every time you try to go somewhere new the bus driver seems so bugged to answer any questions about the route or they expect you to know how much it's going to cost. It was an overall good experience. I find riding the bus very relaxing. It helps me feel apart of the community and less to myself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
So so true!! Back in my city everyone rides the bus. Even my father commuted downtown with a lot of the other working men. I've ridden the bus here before and I too feel the bus drivers are a little less friendly than the ones back home.
ReplyDeleteWow...I never thought of it, but you're right! The bus drivers here aren't very friendly. They're kind of just there to run their routes and not necessarily to help someone. There was a couple that got on our bus thinking it would take them to the University Mall, but when it became evident that it didn't, the asked the bus driver, who just stopped and said, "Well, you'll just have to get off and find bus number(something or other)." I'm sure they found the information helpful, but from his tone it just seemed like he was annoyed at them.
ReplyDeleteThe bus definitely made me feel like I had escaped Provo for a little bit and entered a big city. Isn't it interesting how public transportation has different levels of class depending on the culture you are in.
ReplyDeleteamerican public transit is sure a joke compared to other countries... it would be interesting to see it be a larger player in utah valley.
ReplyDeleteI think you said it very well, "When I walked on it kinda felt like I was in another country". I think that is so true!
ReplyDelete