I rode the bus to work last week for two reasons.
The first was to see what it was like and write an article about taking public transportation to save money. The second reason was to save money.
So I got on the TTA in Milton and rode into Huntington on the bus for the first time.
Why I've never done it before, I'm not sure. Being honest, I guess I was just unsure of what kind of people rode the bus. And I didn't know how long it would take. And I wasn't sure where and when it stopped.
The first excuse was particularly dumb because all I had to do was go online to www.tta-wv.com, click on "Routes and Schedules" and then click on the route to Milton.
I thought I wouldn't have many opportunities to hop a bus going from Milton to Huntington, but that was unfounded because it stops on the way to Huntington three times even before I normally leave for work in the morning -- at 6:30, 7:05 and 8:25 a.m.
Then I clicked on the icon of a quarter to see what the fare was. Right now, it's 75 cents for basic fare, with an additional 25 cents if you're taking it to or from one of the outer zones of the route. I wasn't quite sure how much I'd need coming to and from Milton, so I had maybe four $1 bills in my pocket, just in case. As it turns out, it was $1 each way.
Because TTA has to deal with increasing gas prices, too, that fare goes up beginning June 29. But it's only an extra quarter each way to go to Milton, which is still far more affordable than driving.
I decided to get on the 8:25 a.m. bus, because that's about when I'd leave to drive to work anyway.
My second lesson in taking the bus is that you have to look for the bus stop sign to see where to stand, but if you miss it, just wave and they'll probably stop.
The third lesson is it might be early. I was getting to the stop about, oh, 8:22 a.m., and the bus was coming down the street.
I hopped on, asked the driver -- who was Tom McRay, a really friendly, helpful man -- what to do, and he asked me where I was going. Then he showed me how to slide my dollar into the vending machine-like device that takes your money.
I got on with a man and teenage boy, who were traveling separately. We stopped a couple more times in Milton and by the time we left town, there were about seven or eight people on the bus.
We stopped at the Barboursville Wal-Mart and the Huntington Mall. The next stops were Target, HIMG, Huntington Wal-Mart and then a couple places along the road as we headed downtown. People got off the bus, and others got on at almost every stop.
My concerns about the people who road the bus seemed unfounded as well, because they all seemed pretty much like me -- just trying to get somewhere. A little worried that I might end up sitting next to a really chatty stranger (I'm not so much a morning person), I took my iPod and listened to music. But no one struck up a conversation.
Because Tom was such a good driver, the ride was very smooth, which was nice. And one surprise is how much I enjoyed not having the stress of the morning commute. I sat there, listened to music and thought about what I had to do that day, without having to worry about the 18-wheeler going 50 miles per hour in front of me, or the other truck coming up behind me doing about 80.
I got off the bus at 9:35 a.m. at the corner of 4th Avenue and 10th Street, which is closer than my usual parking spot, and walked up the street. I was a little late, but I could always catch an earlier bus if I wanted to save some cash every once in a while, which I might do.
In fact, the 6:30 a.m. route is usually busier than the 8:25 a.m. route, said Stella Fowler, a TTA bus driver for the past 24 years, whom I chatted with later.
She drives that early morning route from Milton to Huntington and said she usually has 10 or 15 riders. She knows one rider who drives from Hurricane to Milton every day, and takes the 6:30 bus to work in Huntington.
She said she's seen ridership increase in the past couple months. Some of her riders don't have cars, but others are just being economical. They seem to enjoy relaxing and reading on the bus, she said.
"Others sit and visit with each other. They've made friends on the bus," she said. "If somebody doesn't show up for a couple days, they'll say, 'Have you seen so-and-so?' "
As gas prices go up, she suspects that the number of riders will continue to rise with them.
"I hope they do," she said, unashamed. "Job security."
Jean Tarbett Hardiman is a reporter for the Herald-Dispatch. She can be contacted at jeant@herald-dispatch.com.
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