Ride a bus.. see the world!

Our local public transit system offers free travel on Mondays for senior citizens. The Town of Oakville is not particularly large, but I can imagine that it would be a lot of fun just riding the buses free for a day! That was on my agenda for 2015. I never did it! I never did it in 2016 either!

My granddaughter in Vancouver used to ride the buses a lot a few years ago. I understand that it was her “escape” to review and resolve whatever was going on in her life at the time. She has a lovely personality and it was no surprise to learn that she became a favorite passenger for quite a few of the drivers. Suddenly, a bus ride would be like visiting friends, and some bus drivers would be looking out for her on their route!

So why didn’t it get done in 2015, or last year? I have no answer other than the years flew past and now here we are in 2017. I didn’t even think about it as a goal for 2017, and yet I just know that it would be a fascinating experience.

We have friends who love to “globe trot”, and they will soon be leaving for Romania! World travel holds no interest for me however, why can some people plan and execute a 2 week adventure half way around the world (and at considerable expense), and yet I have trouble taking a day to ride the local buses for free!  It clearly is not a high priority… and yet, knowing me as well as I do, it should be.

Acknowledging that many people on buses isolate themselves for whatever reasons, there are surely some individuals that are happy to chat. Whereas probably the majority of bus drivers will simply do their job, there must be some that would appreciate a little social dialogue. Then there is the travel perspective! Because the whole Oakville Transit System is available to me, and I can randomly change buses, who knows what I might see during my day? I will be seeing parts that I have not seen before, and perhaps even have to wait in an area that is new to me.

The whole concept of just riding buses for a day (and for free) is such an invitation to an adventure, that why have I not done it? I had time last year to do many things, so why was allocating 6-8 hours of only one day out of 365 an issue? I really don’t have any answers that I can accept, except that it clearly was not a high priority… but it should have been!

When I reflect on my life, I am extremely happy with what I see. I am now 70, and if I was advised that my check-out time was imminent, my only concern would be “how”!  My life has repeatedly included interacting with people in all manner of circumstances and, not only did they seem to appreciate the experiences, but I learned so much about people in general. I also learned so much more about me!

My goals/aspirations/resolutions have never been materialistic or totally self-focused, and my lifestyle is relatively frugal but comfortable. I am satisfied with my life …. but I  really do need to ride the buses for a day! For all I have learned in 70 years, I have absolutely no doubt that  there is much more to learn “out there”, and probably on Oakville Transit buses which are just waiting for me to get on board!

19 thoughts on “Ride a bus.. see the world!”

  1. I used public transportation getting back and forth from home to work since downtown Denver can be such a cluster to try and navigate (road construction going on somewhere downtown since 1987, expensive parking garages, never enough parking meters and having someone else do driving that I rather loathe made me a bus riding champ). And like your granddaughter, I had several ‘regular’ drivers I got to know over the years who were a real delight. I highly recommend it, if even just for a day. The downside of course is they generally don’t allow dogs on board unless they are a service dog. *sigh*

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  4. You do definitely need to do it! I can see it being fun for you and even more so I can see others enjoying your company on the bus. Who knows what person may be sitting on the bus that could be touched by a kind word and smile from you? 🙂

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  6. Sadly I have to wait a further 6 years for my ‘free bus pass’ (unless the government move the state pension age again out of my reach) and rides here in the UK are otherwise not free, no matter what the day is.
    However, way back in 1975, I was taken ill with something that was never quite defined and housebound for over five weeks! I suddenly announced to my Mum that I wanted to go for a bus ride, and so we walked up to the bus stop with her holding my arm and caught a bus into Bournemouth. There, we made our way to one of the cliff walks, and it was the turning point I needed. A week later I was back at work, and no, we never did find out what was wrong.

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  7. Go for it – We have been doing it for the past 5 years or so, you get to see places that you did not think existed on some of the local services that take the long way round

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