Transit Tuesday: Richard Jackson
Transit is the lifeblood of our economy and allows me to have a decent life.
Transit Tuesday: Ian Buck
Minneapolis, MN – My name is Ian Buck, and I teach computer science, cybersecurity, and media production, for 10th – 12th graders in Career and Technical Education programs. I teach district-wide across Minneapolis Public Schools and have students at all of the district high schools, which requires me getting around town as efficiently as I can. I am also a member of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT).
Transit Tuesday: Barbara Henry
Providence, RI – My name is Barbara Henry and I’ve lived in Rhode Island for over 20 years. I have a Masters Degree in Social Work and, 3 years ago, I got a fulfilling job at the Fogarty Center working with people with disabilities. Not only do I love my job but it completely lifted me out of poverty. My whole life changed and it’s all due to being able to go from Point A to Point B. I own my home in Providence now, where I live with my son. For the first time in my life, I can breathe.
Transit Tuesday: Lucy Braginski
Bellingham, WA – The bus is a really important staple for our community. I usually walk to the grocery store near school, but sometimes I take the bus when it is raining or when I have heavy groceries. Bellingham’s hills can make even short walks hard, so it’s nice to have another option. I also take the bus downtown, and once you’re downtown, you can pretty much walk everywhere.
Transit Tuesday: Marvin Martin
Dorchester, MA – Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that the bus starts very late on Sunday, after many people are already in church. There weren’t any other alternatives and I didn’t have money for an Uber. I ended up walking 2 miles on a bad foot.
Transit Tuesday: Mary Lou Burke
Chesapeake, VA – When people tell me they’ll never use transit, I share this story and tell them that never is a long time, and that it never hurts to know about another way to get around.
Transit Tuesday: Jill Reasoner
Everett, WA – My name is Jill Reasoner, and I am a 58-year-old woman who has been legally blind since college. I raised my kids in Monroe, as we could get a bigger and more affordable house out there. In Monroe, I lived one mile from the closest bus stop, which meant that I was outside of the paratransit service area.
Transit Tuesday: Calli Voss
Minneapolis, MN – Living in downtown Minneapolis, I do a lot of walking and use public transit frequently. I walk to my job at a hotel just two blocks from my apartment. I prefer transit for most of my other trips, though getting out to the suburbs to visit my grandma is more difficult, so sometimes calling an Uber is my best bet, even though it’s much more expensive. For other trips within the city—like visiting friends or shopping at the more affordable grocery stores—I rely on public transit and it is pretty easy to get around.
Transit Tuesday: Harvey Harold
Asheville, NC – The VA is where my transit journey started in Asheville. When I first got to Asheville, I would take the bus to the VA hospital, to my classes, back to my housing. But the bus didn’t come all the way to the VA hospital. Instead, it would stop about a quarter-mile walk away from the VA hospital, and one day I even waited over two hours for the bus. One of my instructors helped me find out who was responsible for the bus out to the VA, and I started advocating for my fellow veterans who used walkers and found it difficult to get all the way to the bus stop. It turned out that there was a fault in the system, and they suggested I apply to join the transit committee. So for the last eight years, I’ve been a member of the Asheville Transit Committee.
Transit Tuesday: Vinh Nhu Pham
Providence, RI – I’m Vinh, a student at Brown University studying Urban Studies. I grew up in Gwinnett County, Georgia, a suburban area where getting around without a car was almost impossible. My interest in public transportation started in high school when I realized how few options there were for students who couldn’t drive. I remember walking home along a two-lane road with no sidewalks because there was no bus service to my neighborhood. That experience made me want to learn more about making transit more equitable and accessible.
