3‑Hour Commute Includes 3 Buses, 1 Train

To find out if I can rely on CT Transit to get me to class at Southern Connecticut State University from my home in Windsor, I recently took three buses, one train and walked about two miles.

That was only the first half of the commute. Three and a half hours and $25 later, I realized that there’s no practical way for me to commute to school on public transportation.

The first problem I encountered was scheduling.

I originally planned to take public transportation before school one day. I used Google Maps to determine which route I should take. When I saw the results, it was very intimidating, and discouraging. A one-way trip would take three and a half hours without traffic. It would involve taking a bus from Windsor to Hartford, taking the Amtrak train from Hartford to New Haven, then taking two connecting buses from downtown New Haven to Southern’s campus.

I later found out there is an express bus from Hartford to New Haven, which Google didn’t mention.

The earliest bus left at 4:40 a.m. Even leaving my house that early, I wouldn’t get close to SCSU until about 8 a.m. — just as my class was starting.

I had never taken the bus from so far and couldn’t anticipate traffic delays. I did not want to risk being late for my 8 a.m. class, so I tried a different approach.

I decided to start my trip on the weekend.

Alas, another problem.

Google Maps claims my public bus runs on the weekend. However, I checked out the actual bus stop, and the schedule posted in the enclosure claimed there was no service on the weekends.

I settled on taking public transportation to Southern on a Thursday evening, when I had a three-and-a-half hour block of time free for the experiment. To prevent a six-hour round trip, my brother agreed to meet me in New Haven to drive me home. A real pal.

I searched the CT Transit website and made absolutely sure I would have the correct fare. The possibility of missing my bus because I didn’t have exact change gave me a lot of anxiety. I felt like it was the first day of middle school — I just didn’t want to mess up.

A one-way ticket from Hartford to New Haven on the Amtrak train was $19. To get back would cost another $19. It would take $38 a day, three times a week, for 15 weeks. A semester potentially costs $1,710 in train fare — not even including the Hartford and New Haven public buses.

My journey began at my doorstep. It was dusk, and I was going to catch a 6:40 p.m. bus to Union Station in downtown Hartford. I planned on being on campus around 10 p.m.

I started walking.

My laptop bag strapped to me, I pressed play on my iPod. I walked for 20 minutes from the heart of my subdivision, across a highway bridge, and to the Kennedy Road bus stop outside of the Stop & Shop plaza.

It was a really pleasant walk. It was warm out; I imagine the trek would be miserable in the rain or in the freezing cold. It made me sad imagining someone who had to make this journey every winter morning.

I waited.

Every car that drove by was a constant reminder that I had to take the bus. I felt like a lesser person. I didn’t have the freedom to get where I want, when I want. Once again I was sad imagining people who use the bus every day. How much of their lives are wasted having to wait?

6:40 came — no bus.

6:50 — no bus.

7:00 — no bus.

Finally, at 7:10 the bus arrived, and I first realized how unreliable this route would be. The first of three buses was late. Admittedly, I don’t know if the morning buses are better or worse, since I never rode them and traffic is unpredictable.

I paid the fare, and the world didn’t end. The bus was nearly empty. I took a seat near a man whose face and arms were dirty. He looked like he had been working hard all day.

To get to downtown Hartford from my house takes 15 minutes by car. Using public transportation it took me 50 minutes: my half-hour walk plus the 20 minute bus ride.

I arrived at Union Station in Hartford at 7:35 p.m. I immediately walked to the ticket window and purchased a one-way ticket to Union Station in New Haven. I had to take an Amtrak express at 8:15 pm.

I sat on the train for about 50 minutes. I suppose I would use that time to get homework done if I took it regularly.

I arrived in New Haven at 9:10 p.m. My journey wasn’t over yet.

Google Maps wanted me to take the J bus, which stops at the intersection of Church and Chapel Street, and transfer at a further stop. I would be on the bus for five minutes. I was unaware that transferring between public buses was free. In a naive attempt to save money, I opted to walk to the next stop.

I didn’t realize it would be a 20-minute walk.

When I finally got to the next stop, I was tired. I took the D bus around 9:30 — there were 22 stops. Since it was late in the evening, there weren’t many people getting on. However, it still took 20 minutes to go five miles.

I just wanted to go home.

I got off at the Dixwell Avenue and Dudley Street stop. I walked half a mile on Dixwell until I finally got to SCSU. It was 10:30 p.m.

I stood defeated outside of Buley Library. High beams flashed – it was my brother coming to pick me up. I couldn’t get into the car fast enough.

The CT Bus Diaries project is a collaboration between 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.

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