I had to take my car to my regular mechanic the other day for some servicing, and it gave me an occasion to ride a bus. Or, “the bus”, as we say here in Jersey. The bus route in question was the NJ Transit number 75, a rush-hour only express service from Newark to Butler. And I must say that I enjoyed the ride. NJT uses a big, smooth-riding MCI cruiser on this route, not just another Nova street-rattler. The ride was smooth and quiet, and open seats were plentiful. The driver made change, which doesn’t happen on most buses out of Newark. It was a nice day and the sun was shining through the big windows. Everyone on board was well-mannered, no radios or bad behavior. And the trips were more or less on time.

Riding local buses, though, is not easy (and not always pleasant! especially when they are standing room only, or you go through the wrong neighborhood). You have to invest some time and research into finding out when they run, where they stop, how much they charge, how and when you pay for the trip, etc. And even when you’re on board, if you’re a first time rider, you might not know the protocol to use when your destination nears and you want to get off. Maybe there’s a strip or button that you press on the bus to ring a bell telling the driver to get ready to stop. But when you’re not a regular, sometimes the driver still won’t stop; unless you walk right up front and tell him or her. And if you do, the driver might get a little surly about being told, implying that you are bothering her or him with unnecessary details. (And if you do happen to be on a local bus going thru the wrong neighborhood — just stay calm and quiet, stay loose, don’t move too much, and look at the floor or out the window mostly.)

Even getting on the bus is not always easy; some bus drivers pull over if you are anywhere near the bus stop; but some require you to flag and wave definitively, or they will cruise right past you. And sometimes the stop is not marked with a sign; the locals know which corner to go to, but you might not (but Google maps do seem to accurately locate many official bus stops, at least here in suburban NJ). Again, unless you ride the same bus day in and day out, there are lots of variations on how things work. It’s what you might call “local custom”.

But I got past all of that and had a nice ride on the 75. Given that I have some Asperger Syndrome in my blood (or in my head), I have a soft spot in my heart for transportation systems (although I was always more of a railroad man than a Ralph Cramden). But Aspie or not, I guess the lesson here is to be thankful for those little moments of contentment, those occasional moments when things are OK and nothing is likely to go wrong for a little while. My two 45 minute rides on the 75 route were indeed occasions like that, little oases in a desert of chaos.

Thanks much, NJ Transit, and I hope that you will keep the 75 route rolling, despite the big financial problems you now face, and the fact that not too many other people in the well-off suburbs served by the 75 bus chose to make it their little peace-of-mind sanctuary during their transitus between home and work. For better or worse, the car is still king for those who can afford it (and I shouldn’t talk, as I drive to work 4 days out of 5). Buses are still mostly the chariot of the poor.