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I printed multiple maps of bus routes, downloaded and installed the recommended app with live updates, and I’m still confused. As far as I can tell, to catch the bus to our shopping mall, I have to walk to the nearest stop – two miles from my home. What? How do people figure this out without access to computers or phone apps? How do people navigate this system to get to work on time?
Once I located a nearby bus stop on the app, I drove there (skipping the two-mile walk), parked, climbed over a guardrail and scrambled through a drainage gully separating the parking lot from the sidewalk.
Then I followed my GPS north – whoops, south – to find the bus stop highlighted on my app. All the while, I thought of people I’ve seen waiting for buses who use walkers or motorized wheelchairs. How frustrating it must be to lack a smooth sidewalk straight to your destination.
Those of us who don’t rely on public support – transportation, WIC, SNAP, housing assistance – underestimate the time, energy and knowledge needed to navigate such systems. God forbid my car breaks down and Uber declines my card and I have to use public transportation to get somewhere on time. I am not prepared to survive without my conveniences.
Those who navigate public systems of support deserve my respect — and whatever I can do to make their lives a little easier.
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