Markeshia Ricks photo
If longevity is a marker, Eligio Marquez really likes driving buses. He’s been doing it for 25 years.
“I started out driving a school bus,” he said of his first five years driving a bus. “Then I switched to this. That’s how most of us started out.”
Now Marquez has marked a quarter century as a bus driver.
If you’re a regular rider of the CT Transit’s B1-route, which takes you from The Green out to Brookside Apartments and back, between 5:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. then Marquez (pictured) is a friendly face you know. Got a question? He can probably answer it.
When one exasperated woman standing on Whalley Avenue under overcast skies and being buffeted by a fierce wind asked where a different B‑route bus was, Marquez delivered the news: It was running late. With an easy smile he reminded her: “It’s Friday afternoon.”
Mistakenly put your 10-ride fare card in the slot where you are supposed to put dollar bills, as this novice rider did Friday afternoon? He’s the guy to help you get it back. He’s also the guy to tell you that your transfer ticket is good for unlimited transfers within a 2‑hour window.
“Most people don’t know that and throw away their transfer ticket, or don’t get one at all,” he said. “But as long as you’re in that two-hour window you can transfer as much as you like.”
Driving mostly the same route for the last 20 years, Marquez has seen a lot, but he said the routes have pretty much remained the same. The biggest changes he’s seen is an increase in the number of people who ride the bus and increased development. Because his bus route takes him there, he got to watch the redevelopment of the Brookside Apartments in West Rock, and he’ll likely get to see the redevelopment of the Abraham Ribicoff Cottages.
He chalks up the increase in ridership to the fact that the bus goes pretty much everywhere and remains an affordable option for getting around town. While some transit systems charge you a small fee to transfer, or base your fare on how far you’re traveling, in New Haven, a buck-fifty and a two-hour transfer will pretty much get you anywhere the bus goes.
CT Transit hasn’t made the move to eliminate the use of paper fare cards in favor of reusable farecards, as some transit systems have done, such as the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (Washington D.C.) and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. Marquez said fare cards for multiple rides such as the 10-ride farecards or the multi-day passes are popular on his route.
While most people these days use their smart phones to navigate public transit, signage is still important. Marquez admitted that a sign that simply says “Bus Stop” doesn’t really tell a rider much about how to ride the bus. He said some bus stop signs inform a rider about whether a particular bus comes down that street, but it’s pretty hit or miss.
More signs would probably be helpful, particularly away from The Green, he said.
“That could be a recommendation,” he said.
Or you could kick it old school like rider Robert, who declined to provide his last name.
Robert takes the bus to get to work because his driver’s license is suspended. He said sometimes the bus makes him late for work, but most of the time it’s on time. He said he’s chased more than his fair share of buses; most drivers will stop if they see you making the effort.
“Some don’t,” he said.
Robert (pictured), who was born and bred in New Haven, doesn’t use a fancy smart phone to know which bus to take. He keeps it old school, traveling with a stack of schedules in his pocket.
“I always keep them on me,” he said. “Got to.”
His stack of schedules didn’t matter so much Friday afternoon. Because even when you’ve been doing this a while, sometimes you mess it up.
“Aw man,” he said. “I’m on the wrong bus!”
The CT Bus Diaries project is a collaboration among the New Haven Independent, the Valley Independent Sentinel and students from the multimedia journalism class at Southern Connecticut State University. The students are blogging about experiences on CT Transit’s bus lines in order to give a glimpse into the commutes of the people using the bus system.
Share your CT Transit experiences with us by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) photos or videos to Jodie Mozdzer Gil or tagging #CTBusDiaries on Twitter posts.
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