I've been riding the bus now for about 2 months, and I still love it. As a matter of habit, I always look at gas prices when I pass a service station, and respond with a sigh of relief or an angry chortle. Today, when the bus passed the BP on Westport, I saw that gas had gone up another 4 cents or so, and I said "dammit," quietly to myself, and then I came to a sort of realization: I don't care. I spend $8-$10 dollars a week to get to work, whether gas costs $1.25 or $3.25 a gallon. I am out of traffic, and love the idea of it.

When I first started riding the bus regularly, I would take a book with me to pass the time for the 40-minute ride. Now, I still take a book with me, but I rarely get a chance to read it. I find it's much more interesting to look out the windows of the bus at all the sights and small details that I was never able to really look at when I drove: houses, plants, buildings, gardens, angry drivers, people, billboards, parks, storefronts, schools, hospitals, and all the other interesting things to look at along the way.

I thought to myself, the other day, "when will I have a reason to use my car again?" The simple answer came: "When I want to leave town." It feels really liberating to put only a handful of miles on the car a month. It helps me preserve the car's value, reduces pollution and gas use, gets me out on my feet for a little welcome exercise, and dramatically reduces my chances of getting into a car accident or getting a speeding ticket. All in all, I love riding the bus, and I think more people should do it.