‘Why You Ride (or Don’t Ride)‘ is a series where you, our faithful readers, share your transportation routines in L.A. and your thoughts on how to make things better – read more about the concept here.
Want to share your story? Take the survey here if you ride transit regularly, or take this one if you don’t ride.
Who You Are:
Name: Monica Waggoner
Occupation: Grant Writer
Location: Atwater Village
Your Transit Routine:
How often do you take transit and for what purpose?
I take transit to work sometimes; we’re a one-car family, so if my husband needs the car, I ride the bus to work. He has a shorter commute, so usually he buses and I drive.
We also use transit for recreation at times too; he might drop me and our older son off at the movies, and we’ll take the bus home while he and our younger son go do the shopping. Or we’ll all use it to go do holiday shopping or other events where the car is an encumbrance.
When we have out-of-town guests, we usually take them on the Gold Line and use the Red Line to show them Hollywood.
Where are you typically traveling from and going to?
From home to work Downtown on Skid Row (my husband takes the bus to Downtown Glendale); also from home to the Americana or Hollywood.
What lines/routes do you take?
The 92 goes almost everywhere we need to. We also use the 180/181 sometimes.
How long does it typically take?
It usually takes me 45-50 minutes door-to-door if I’m using the bus to get to and from work. For my husband, his work commute takes more like 30-35 minutes.
Briefly, how would you describe your typical transit experience? Love it, deal with it, or hate it?
I love it!
On average, what do you spend each month on transportation?
$100 – $300
Why do you take transit?
Behind the wheel, I’m at the mercy of other drivers and their whims. On the bus, the time is mine; I can read, play a game, or just hear myself think.
When I’m with the kids, they don’t have to be strapped into carseats, so they can see the world go by and I can give them a hug or a kiss whenever I want to.
The bus is safer than a car. Buses have fewer accidents, go lower speeds, and the passenger compartment is higher than most of the mass moving out on the road.
We save money by only having one car. Our car insurance dropped by $100/month when we sold one car; we aren’t paying another $150-200/year registration, and we’re paying bus fare instead of fueling up.
With only one vehicle, we think more about where we’re going and how we’re getting there. We lower our impact on the environment that way, and see more of the world around us.
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