The Word - Vol 108

🚌 Jump on the bus, Gus.

I haven’t lived in the city of Vancouver since 1968 after living there for the first 19 years of my life. I seldom go into town these days, and when I do, there are parts of it I don’t recognize, which is understandable as time marches on. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I just can’t bear the traffic, the construction, the bike lanes… “Hey, you kids get off my lawn!”

But when I do head into the big city, I now rely on transit. I’m no stranger to riding the bus; I used to take the city bus all the time in the days of “Reddy Kilowatt,” remember him? He was a cartoon character that B.C. Electric used as a mascot. When I was a kid, I would often take the bus from Dunbar to downtown Vancouver to have lunch with my dad, who worked at the B.C. Telephone Company offices on Seymour Street.

A few years ago, a couple of friends of mine wanted to have lunch in Yaletown in downtown Vancouver. It sounded like a great idea, but I wasn’t looking forward to driving into town, facing the stress of the traffic and parking, and what seems to be the endless construction in the city. So, I thought about transit!

I consulted my daughter about how I could find the bus schedules to see where the bus stops and at what time. I was shocked to find out that not only was the fare much less than I had expected, it was even cheaper because I was a senior! It turns out I could get from White Rock to Vancouver for less than $9.00.

Now, it’s not only the monetary savings but also the lack of stress that sometimes comes along with a trip into town. And I smile every time that big old bus goes flying along the bus and HOV lane passing all the cars sitting bumper to bumper waiting to get through the tunnel.

After lunch, we went our separate ways and headed home. When I got home, I shot off an email to both of them saying how much I enjoyed lunch and again mentioned my stress-free ride past the traffic trying to get through the tunnel. One of my friends thought he might try transit next time, but the other friend wasn’t in the best mood. He got back to his car only to find that the meter had run out and he was greeted with a $25 parking ticket on the windshield.

He didn’t want to hear another word about my $9.00 trip on the double-decker.

— Till next week, Wayne

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