Ordinary People, Bus Style

I loved reading Emily Carter’s public transportation manifesto [“The Unreformed Bus Rider,” June]—it’s the kind of writing that grabs you, pulls you in, and, well, takes you for a ride. However, I disagree with some of the key points—ironically, points that those right-wing folks on the radio also made, that only the marginalized and poor use public transportation. As an artist and freelance writer who composts and bikes wherever possible, I am perhaps occupationally marginalized but lead an otherwise conventional bohemian middle-class life, a life that fits right into the profile of a twenty-to-forty-something, educated, politically progressive Twin Citizen. Depending on the route you take, plenty of green-loving, efficiency-appreciating, even-thicker-into-the-mainstream-than-me people are sitting in bus seats. In fact, when I have a project that requires me to show up in the same place at the same time, I see that those people are sitting in those seats on a daily basis. People above the poverty line do choose public transportation because it’s smarter environmentally, puts you into contact with folks with whom you’d otherwise never interact, and feels better than getting all cranky in your own metal bubble. What better contribution can you make to the life of the city than your bus fare? Like Ms. Carter said, it’s downright civic.
Shari Aronson
Minneapolis