Kansas City, Missouri – Missouri Workers Center, Stand Up KC – I started working when I was 14. For decades, $9.66 an hour was the most I had ever made in my life. I’m far from the only Kansas City resident whose low wages required me to use the bus as my main mode of transportation.
It’s a lifeline for me and thousands of people in Kansas City. It’s how we get to work, to the doctor, to run errands, and live our daily lives.
I am a certified nurse assistant. I have been a CNA for almost 16 years. For the people in the city trying to do better and get up on their feet, having affordable and accessible public transportation helps a lot. It’s hard enough to try and survive on poverty wages. But without transportation, low-wage workers like me would find it impossible to get my foot in the door at a job, much less keep one.
It’s also comforting to know that when I’m tired after an overnight shift, I can catch the bus home and not have to worry about staying awake or alert. Plus, it’s convenient. The stop is about three blocks away from home, and it’s a nice walk and good way for me to get exercise. And the transit app tells me when the bus is coming so I don’t have to wait in the cold.
I also enjoy riding public transit. I have taken it to Kansas and ridden most of the routes. I enjoy the scenic views, especially in the summer. Another rider who uses a wheelchair told me that the bus is his way of getting out of the house, getting fresh air, and seeing the town. I can relate to that.
The bus is an environmentally friendly way of experiencing and being in community with other people who I might not otherwise cross paths with.
And for the bus drivers, that’s their livelihood. Our public transit system is a means of creating jobs for people—union jobs with livable wages and good benefits. I’ve been in this fight with Stand Up KC for many years now, because we all deserve to have jobs that pay us what we’re worth and treat us with the dignity and respect we deserve.
It’s why we need to protect and strengthen our public transit system. This is a public good and a public necessity, and we need to preserve it and make it better, not worse, for the people who need it most.
The bus has saved me and so many people like me. It’s time we all save our buses.
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This story is from our most recent report, Working Families Ride the Bus, which focuses on workers from across the country who rely on public transit to stay connected with their livelihoods, their families, and greater opportunities.