PUTNEY — I live in Putney. I work in Brattleboro. I like commuting on the Current's Bellows Falls–Brattleboro bus.
I like the bus because it gives me a true break, a time when I don't have to do anything. Some people say their car commute is downtime or a break. But one is still trying to safely navigate a multi-ton vehicle at high speeds. A lot of one's brain is engaged, even if not consciously.
On the bus I can listen to a podcast, I can read a book, I can listen to music, I can read my email, I can zone out. Many of these tasks are not safe to do while driving. The only thing one has to do on the bus is ride. There are no work or home distractions to get in the way.
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I like the bus because it is very convenient. I can wave it down anywhere it is safe for the bus to pull over. So sometimes I pick it up within a quick walk from my house. Or sometimes I drive into Putney and get on the bus up in town, which allows me to get a cup of coffee in the morning or do errands on my return in the afternoon.
I like the bus because it gives me the opportunity to walk from the Brattleboro Transportation Center to my office. Walking more is a good thing!
And in the warmer weather and longer days of spring, summer, and fall, I also bike home from Brattleboro some days. I can put my bike on the bus's bike rack for the trip in, and arrive fresh and not sweaty. Then I can bike home. Or, if the weather turns bad or I am not up for it, I can always put the bike on the bus for the trip home.
Fair-weather biking is a good thing!
I like the bus because the people and the drivers are friendly, and it's a community I rarely cross paths with otherwise.
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I like the bus because it's cheaper than driving.
The 2014 IRS reimbursement rate is 56 cents a mile. That rate attempts to capture the costs of driving, including depreciation, insurance, maintenance, and gas.
Let's say my daily commute with my car would conservatively cost me 50 cents a mile. Because I probably am going to own a car anyway, some depreciation and insurance costs are happening whether I take the bus or not, so I'll use 50 cents a mile instead of 56 cents a mile for my calculation.
My commute is 24 miles round trip. At 50 cents a mile, it costs me $12 per day to commute to work! The bus is $1 each way, or $2 per day.
I keep $10 in my wallet each day I take the bus. That helps pay for the coffee habit!
I try to take the bus 3 or 4 days a week, so that's $30 to $40 a week and more than $1,500 a year in savings.
I hear about lots of reasons not to take the bus. The timing can be tricky. We all juggle schedules and get to places on time. Once the bus is a habit, the timing is just part of the day.
I encourage you to talk to your employer and the bus company about scheduling. You might be able to work something out.
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The bus is slower, but I actually appreciate the opportunity to truly slow down. I mostly have to plan meetings and errands.
When I set meetings and organize my errands, I look at my week and try to set a majority of the days as bus-commute days. Yes, some days are driving days, but I try to keep that to one or two days per week.
Sometimes I leave my car in Brattleboro for a few days so I can take the bus to and from work but have a vehicle in town to get me to my errands and meetings.
And walking or riding my bike to meetings and some errands is also very feasible. If I'm headed anywhere between the hospital and downtown, it does not take that much longer to walk than it does to drive.
So I recommend the bus to everyone along the I-91 corridor and those out Wilmington and Dover way, as there is regular bus service in these places.
Together, we can save money and reduce carbon.