Because I can't believe the good folks of Eagan don't drive, I'm willing to bet none of Day's fellow riders truly depended on bus. Not that I'm against commuter bus use. Park and ride commuter routes like the one Day rode decrease congestion on the expressways and carbon monoxide emissions. It decreases road rage. Metro Transit has made great strides encouraging people to ride.
Buses are generally clean, safe and reliable.
Their guaranteed ride home program is a stroke of genius. Leaving work to pick up a sick child from school early, or an equally unexpected event, has got to be one of the main reasons people have chosen to fight rush-hour downtown traffic and pay through the nose for parking. But traffic management is only half the transit solution. Now that Metro Transit has done a great job getting people out of their cars and improving the image of riders, maybe it can help out those who do not ride by choice. For a truly bus dependent person, a trip from St. Paul's Midway area to the Yankee Doodle Drive and Pilot Knob Road intersection in Eagan for an 11 a.m. appointment takes about an hour and a half.