How We Roll celebrates Metro Transit and Met Council employees who regularly ride transit and other forms of sustainable transportation. Read more How We Roll Q&As here.
Why do you choose to use transit?
I live in downtown Minneapolis and transit is my only source of independent travel. As a person living with a disability, transit gives me the flexibility to shop, dine, go to events and concerts, and meet friends across the greater metro without always depending on someone else who can drive me or the expense of ride shares.
My experiences here have also given me the confidence to ride transit everywhere I go. Whether the streetcars and busses in Portland and Cincinnati or the tube in London, riding transit is a valuable skillset to have. We ensured both our children were confident and independent transit riders and they, too, now navigate transit across the world because they grew up using transit.
What routes do you use most often?
I take Route 94 to and from work in St. Paul and ride the Blue Line or Route 22 to get to/from Metro Transit’s Minneapolis offices. Outside of my commute, my husband and I often leave the car at home when we go to events. I take the Green Line to United games at Allianz Field (we are season ticket holders, and the pregame vibe onboard is the best) and use light rail or bus to attend theater performances in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Most recently, I loaded my bike on the bus and went to the Chain of Lakes to kayak with friends—it was fast and easy, and I was waiting while they all fought for parking!
Favorite memory from riding transit?
We attended a food truck festival and since our dog likes to come with us on outings, we loaded him into his backpack carrier and headed out. We had fun pictures to send our college kids, who got a kick out of Boba riding transit!
What is your favorite part about taking transit?
The additional free time it gives me. I love podcasts and reading and my time on transit lets me get more of that in each day. Every morning, my daughter and I also exchange New York Times Connections results while I ride. On my commute trips, I also appreciate the time I have to ramp up and wind down to be ready for time with family and friends when the day is over.
And I love how transit brings people together: It makes for great people watching and creates spontaneous moments when I run into a co-worker on the bus or train.
What advice do you have for people who are uncertain about taking transit?
Keep Google maps handy. It is simple to use, has a transit setting that gives reliable real time info, allows you to visually follow along as you approach each stop, and makes finding a new bus stop so much easier! When I started riding transit, knowing where the bus stop was located was really stressful, especially if I was headed to an appointment and needed to be on time, and the right tool makes it so easy!
Also, our drivers are awesome so don’t be afraid to ask for help! My transition from being a driver to riding transit only was overnight and so it felt super overwhelming. I would, and still do, often ask the driver if I’m boarding the correct bus for where I am headed and they help make sure I am not missing my stop if I am going somewhere unfamiliar for the first time.
How does taking transit help or inspire you in your daily work?
Before joining the Met Council, I worked in the suburbs at a job that was important to me and a big part of my professional identity. When my disability took my ability to drive, I spent about five hours a day travelling to and from my job for over a year and a half and it almost broke me. It was so disheartening to lose my independence. Here, I am reminded that the people we serve all have stories that bring them onto our busses and trains each day. Those stories are why we do what we do, and I am inspired daily by getting to be a part of that collective story.