Ceres Magazine Issue 2 - Winter 2016 | Page 4

Commuting

with a veteran, expert commuter

Did you know?

According to the United States Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics), in 2014, women 16 years and over accounted for 38 % of the workforce in bus service and urban transit, and only 7.4% in rail transportation.

4 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016

Public transportation is still, somewhat, the most intriguing and maybe the most misunderstood industry out there, but also the closest to us. Whether we use public transit or not, we can’t remove it from our daily commutes. Even behind the wheel of a car, we come across bus routes and rail crossings forcing us to deal with those supersized vehicles.

But why is public transit still undervalued, regarded as an annoyance for some and an unfortunate necessity for others? Something relegated to “the less we know about it, the better!” Some people even shiver at the idea of ever having to get on a bus; others laugh as it cannot be such a big deal! Whatever the feelings or emotions public transpor-tation creates in you, a lot of misconceptions surround it, almost shrouding it in mystery.

looking a bit more closely, one realizes that, once some preconceived ideas have been explored, public transit is a whole world in itself, which deserves attention and a bit more respect. And for those who must rely on it, either you are going to make the best of it, or you are going to be miserable commuting to work and back.

Photos by Lands of Void.

By Al Mohymont

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm