[Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.... and Community Shuttles] - My Daily Journey To School

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[Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.... and Community Shuttles] - My Daily Journey To School

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Every morning, at precisely 6:45 AM, my cell phone's alarm clock goes off to wake me up for school. One minute, I'm happily asleep, wrapped up in my gloriously warm sheets and probably dreaming. The next, Ludacris' "Area Codes" is blaring from the phone, forcing me out of bed and into the cold, dark void of my room.

If I've had a decent night's sleep, it's most likely that  I'll  just rise up grumbling, maybe throwing the phone back onto the bed and heading for the showers, cursing both Motorola and Ludacris all the while. If not, the sounds of the phone hitting my wall can probably be heard from down the street.

Like most people my age, I hate getting up. Why?

Well, it's not because it's so cold in the house, or because it's still dark when I leave, or because my bed seems so warm and fluffy the second the alarm goes off, or because I probably haven't done my homework, or because I most likely won't have time for breakfast. Well, actually... those reasons are part of it. But the main reason why getting up is so bad? Because getting to school sucks.

As of the moment I'm writing this, I am a not-so-proud member of SFU's bus brigade. Every morning I bundle up like the next Ice Age is coming, slip my iPod into my ears, and make the 10 or so minute walk to the bus stop, usually in varying intensities of Vancouver rain. Of course, the bus comes on its own time. You'd be better off using that pocket bus schedule as a portable fan or for rolling illicit substances than you would for actually getting to school. So, I wait at the stop along with four or five other unfortunate souls. The geniuses who designed the stop apparently thought it'd be a smashing idea if the ground wasn't level, so after the slightest drizzle there's a massive, shin-depp puddle covering most of the stop. I not-so-fondly refer to it as "Lake TransLink." All the while, car commuters pass smugly by, sipping lattes and enjoying their perfectly A/C-maintained 23.5 degree interiors and heated seats.

After "x" minutes of waiting, I am finally greeted with the merciful sound of rumbling bus coming down the street, the beautiful yellow glowing "C74 - SURREY CENTRAL" visible from the stop. We file on to the bus, and at this point the question "What do sardines feel like in that little can?" is immediately answered. I stand, inevitably always in between the smelly construction worker and the lady with 3 crying babies, as the bus slowly pulls away and heads in the direction of Central City. 

Within five minutes, the jacket that had been my warm, comfortable cocoon as I waited outside becomes an unbearably hot straitjacket. But this effect is only temporary, as there is always one inconsiderate person who decides to open the window directly above them, giving themselves a nice gentle breeze of cool air but subjecting the twenty people behind them to hurricane-force winds and rain. For about 20 minutes, I stand like this and wait for it all to come to an end, all the while breathing in the smell that can only be described as "eau de bus."  

Finally, after an eternity it seems, the bus pulls up at Surrey Central. My legs, already stiffened from standing and bracing myself around countless sharp turns and corners, now have to take me across the bus station and to the SFU Surrey campus. This however, is no easy task in itself. My shoes have to navigate a maze of puddles, fast food trash, and the occasional colorful condom wrapper. (Hey, we are in Surrey after all) After making it across the crosswalk in front of campus, praying that I'm not made into a permanent hood ornament because some lady is adjusting the volume on her stereo and not looking, I hurry in through the glass doors and into campus.

If this were an infomercial, at this point you'd all yell "There has to be a better way!" and I'd go "There is!" and smile like an idiot while I explain some new innovation that will get all us university students to class easier.

I hate to burst your bubble, but there really is no better way. So, I face the prospect of another school year, or 2, or maybe even all 4, spent experiencing the highs and lows of our terrific transit system. Except, by "highs" I mean lows and by "lows" I mean really really lows. I'd keep writing, but I've got to be at Surrey Central in an hour. The bus schedule says there's a shuttle coming in precisely 16 minutes... but I'm not taking my chances.