The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions is allowing more people to come back to transit, including Metro Transit employees. To celebrate and encourage the use of transit, we are inviting employees to talk about how and why they’re riding.
For what reasons do you use transit?
I use public transit because it’s the exact opposite of how I grew up. I grew up in a small town in northern Anoka County where you had to drive to get anywhere, and public transit was nowhere to be found. It’s not only beneficial to the environment, but it’s a way for me to feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself and is a increasingly rare opportunity to be around different people each day.
Depending on the amount of coffee I’ve had by the time the train arrives, I either daydream out the window, read a few pages from a book, or attempt to get Queen Bee while playing the New York Times Spelling Bee. It’s a great way to ease into and out of my workday.
What have you missed about regularly using transit during the pandemic?
I’ve been taking either the Blue Line or the 9 route since last July, so it’s been a regular part of my workday most weeks for a while now. During the depths of the pandemic, I missed the walk to and from the train and being around different people, wondering where they had been and where they were going. Remote work is not my jam, so I was quick to get back into the office when it opened again.
How else do you like to get around?
I thoroughly enjoy my walk home from the light rail. I get off at the 38th St. Blue Line stop and walk the mile or so home, which is by the Riverview Theater. I find walking to increasingly be a counterculture, so I’m grateful to live in a neighborhood where I want to walk around and can get to and from public transit so easily. When the weather is nice, I’ll bike to work along West River Parkway. It’s a great way to wake up, especially with a strong wind in your face while speeding down the Franklin Avenue hill. It doesn’t beat a nice cup of coffee, but, dang, it’s close.