Ah, SLO Transit

Some of the homeless here in SLO, have vehicles of their own to get around in. We don’t.

We did at one time. A Ford Aerostar that had one of the passenger benches removed so that we’d have a place to sleep if we needed to. Alas, the transmission burned out and that left us without transportation. I suspect that the old Aerostar just got tired of being homeless and decided to give up the ghost.  

Without a vehicle, there are two ways to get around town: on foot, for shorter trips or when the buses aren’t running or we’re out of money; on bus for longer treks or when we’re just tired of walking.

Buses however cost money. $1 per trip. You can get a transfer, which is good for one hour. If you’re homeless and don’t have money, you can go to the Prado Day Center and do a simple chore and get two bus tokens for your efforts. Each token is good for one trip. The problem with that is that you’ll end up using one of the tokens in the late afternoon to head over to the night shelter. In the morning you’ll use the other token to get back to the day center, where you’ll do another chore for two more tokens; and the cycle continues.

If you can get up the funds, you can purchase a 31-day pass that is good for unlimited rides on the transit system. This isn’t a monthly pass, mind you, that is valid from the 1st of the month through the last day of the month. No. This pass is good for a full 31 days, starting from the first day you use it. That gets a gold star in my book.

The biggest problem with the transit system, are the buses themselves.

Lately it seems as though one or more of the buses are having mechanical problems; breaking down; doors not opening properly; stop request indicators not ringing; kneeling functions getting stuck; wheel chair lifts not unfolding or refolding completely; and the list goes on. It’s almost as though the buses are throwing temper tantrums. It makes me wonder if the buses have been talking to our dearly departed Aerostar.

The greatest asset the SLO Transit System has is the men and women who drive the buses. These men and women are an incredible, and colorful, group of individuals, who treat their passengers – both homeless and non-homeless – with dignity and respect.

The two bus routes that are used with the greatest frequency by the homeless are routes 2 and 3. Although most of the drivers do get rotated through most or all of the routes at one time or another, there are those drivers who are assigned to routes 2 and 3 more often, and have become accustomed to the presence of the homeless on their buses. As a result, there is this strange comfort riding with these drivers. They know many of the homeless by name – as we do them – and joke with us; poke fun at us; allow us to poke fun at them and, in general treat us a human beings.

I often times wonder how they’re able to put up with us, since many in our community see the homeless as some type of nuisance or pestilence. I’ll admit that the homeless can be a pretty rambunctious bunch. And to have to deal with us first thing in the morning is no small feat. I mean, the sound of 30 plus people talking over the sound of the bus, and many times each other, must have an impact on the auditory senses. And yet, day in and day out they drive us about the city without treating the homeless as less than human.

These drivers are truly in a class of their own. They’ve shown extraordinary patience and kindness toward the homeless of this community, who unfortunately more times than not, are required to carry all of their worldly possessions onto the bus with them. Despite their need to remain on schedule, I’ve seen some of these drivers take – or I should say make the time to help some of the homeless carry their bags on or off the bus.

I’m not sure how SLO Transit was lucky enough to have these men and women driving their buses. Perhaps it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that they are there.

When you’re homeless it helps to see a friendly face first thing in the morning. It helps to have a kind word, or a funny remark thrown your way – especially when your day doesn’t appear to have a bright outcome. It’s nice to be treated like a "regular" member of the community.

If I had a hat, it would be off to the men and women who drive our city’s buses.

I just wish there were more people in our community like them.