I rode the bus yesterday... the 12:08 #9 fronm West Asheville. It was on time (or reasonably close) as it arrived near the end of my street on Brevard Road. The bus was nearly empty on the way into town. I think I was the third on, and there were eight by the time we crossed the river. That was fine by me. Some lady had a big plastic bag with a singing toy inside. Ooh, I hate singing toys. I hate toys that make noise. I like musical instruments, and I like some videogames, pinball machines, etc. But talking dolls and junk like that, uh. That just gets under my skin and makes me want to leave the area. Thankfully, I had the iPod.

The return trip was a different story, though. Shortly after three, Walter and I hailed the #9 as it arrived on Clingman Ave. The bus so full that we sat apart. That's fine by me; I'm glad that people are riding the bus. Does Asheville Transit keep statistics on ridership, broken down by hour? I'd be curious to see those. Sherry rode the bus yesterday also, to and from work, and described a full bus on the morning ride.

Walter, Sherry, and I all managed a carfree day yesterday. Hooray!

Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette

I have noticed a curious habit of one of the bus drivers. This is on the 8:30pm route that goes down Haywood Rd. toward Deaverview. The first time it happened, we left the station on time, then when we got to the Ingles stop a few people got off, including the driver. I thought, hmm, what's up? Then I smelled cigarette smoke and I caught on that the driver was taking a cigarette break. I waited for a few more minutes, got tired of waiting, and especially got tired of breathing cigarette smoke, and got out and walked the rest of the way. My normal stop was a block or so up at the corner of Brevard Rd.

I had almost forgotten this anomaly when I rode the night bus this week. But sure enough, when we got to Ingles, no one got on or off, but the driver stopped the bus, got out, and started his cigarette break. This time I was fast on the uptake and hopped right out and walked the rest of the way.

I guess the driver has time to kill because he is ahead of schedule, but this cigarette break seems weird. It's really the only unprofessional behavior I've seen since I've been riding the bus. (Behavior on the part of the drivers I mean!)

bridge open again

News item, per the Citizen-Times: the Brevard Road bridge over I-240 is open.

contain yourself

I rode the 10:35 #1 in from Ffax/Hay. today, and if the ride was uneventful from a logistical standpoint, it was made interesting through a nice conversation I had with Ron. Thanks, Ron. I'm glad you were on the bus today.

Otherwise we just were a metal box full of people, shoulder to shoulder, jerking and bumping our way into downtown.

Word on the streets is that Asheville Transit buses stopped running early on the day before Thanksgiving, with no posting. Some riders reported that drivers told them on the way into town that service would end early. Another rider told Sherry that he had no idea that service would end early, and he arrived at the bus station late Wednesday and had to call someone for a ride. That is messed up.

Here's a rip-- the Brevard Road bridge over I-240 is closed. Yep, closed. It's been half-closed for two weeks now, and the A C-T reports that the bridge is completely closed but will reopen soon. This is my usual bridge for car access to I-240. While I don't travel over the bridge on a bus route, likely #9 will avoid my neighborhood entirely (both incoming and outgoing) because the bridge is part of the quickest route between my area and the Biltmore Square Mall. That means I will ride #1, and walk half a mile to get to a bus stop. So be it.

A great day for a drive

We walked outside to meet the bus this morning, in the snow and cold. Cars were creeping along Brevard Road. That was for the best-- the road was almost covered with ice. When we reached the stop, a nice pedestrian woman asked us if we were planning to catch the bus. We admitted to that, and she told us that she called Asheville Transit to find out that the buses were not running. We went back to the house. I phoned them twice (busy signals both times). We got into my car, and I drove downtown.

The roads were indeed slippery, particularly Brevard and Haywood Roads. I-240 was not so bad. I expected the streets downtown to be worse, but the few that I used were safe. I did not see any wrecks.

Oh, and I saw an older guy standing near the corner of Haywood and Brevard Road. He was hoping to go south on Bre., which was not my direction. This fellow put out a hitchhiker's thumb when he saw a Mountain Mobility van coming his way. The van just kept going.

To quote the Mountain Mobility website: "Our mission is to provide transportation services responsive to the needs of Buncombe County residents."

Ouch.

All this leaves me wondering about Asheville Transit's inclement weather policy.

Packed Like Sardines and Rambling About Owls

Yesterday we were packed like sardines into the #1 10:35a.m. bus. People were standing in the aisles and those of us who were sitting were touching, whether we liked it or not. It strikes me that there are very few public situations where we are this close to strangers. It's especially rare for us small-town people...crowds are few and far between.

Before I got on the bus, there was one young man at my bus stop. He kept me informed about when the bus should get there. "5 minutes till the bus; 4 minutes till the bus; 3 minutes till the bus..." You get the idea. Just before the bus came, he got a new idea for a conversation topic and showed me a dollar bill. He said there was an owl in the corner and that symbolized some evil something or other...it involved secret societies and satan and sacrifices and what not. When the bus came, this guy got on first and sat in the front. Mercifully, the bus hadn't filled up yet and there were seats in the back, which is where I gratefully headed.

Today it is so cold, I was glad to carpool in rather than standing outside in 20 degree weather. I will ride the bus home, though. If I catch the 5:30 I won't have to walk all the way down Brevard Rd. I can already see that riding in the winter is going to take some gritty determination.

rain, on top of it all

We waited for the 8:08 #9 this morning in a steady rain. Nearby there was a huge puddle in the road. Each car would drive through the puddle, which would spray water up onto someone's front yard. It would drench that entire front yard, over and over again. I am so lucky that the bus stop is not beside that puddle.