The new head of moovel North America recalls growing up in Arlington, Va., and learning as a kid how to get around comfortably with transit. He offers a touching story of missing his bus stop because he was too busy being fascinated by the wild diversity of people getting on and off the bus. Now as a grown up, he is still mesmerized by the ways people can efficiently get around places with transit and other sustainable forms of transportation, leaving time to think about and absorb life while commuting.
My dad would probably get in big trouble for this today, but he decided I could get to more lessons by teaching me how to ride public transportation by myself.
He mapped out the route from my house to the martial arts studio. He made a lanyard with instructions on how to ride Metro, the D.C. area public transit service, where to transfer to the correct line and how much to pay.
Arlington, Virginia is a fairly diverse place, and I was fascinated by all the different characters who got on, got off, read the paper, or fell asleep. Moms with kids, old people, teenagers, businessmen, and a few “crazy people” — all in the same spot.
As I sat mesmerized, I suddenly realized I had missed my stop.
Panic filled me. I looked at my lanyard but there were no instructions on what to do if things went wrong. So I carefully tapped the driver on his shoulder, told him what happened and listened to him tell me that I could just walk across the street and simply hop on the same bus going in the opposite direction.
Confidence renewed, I realized I could do this: I could get around on my own.
Since my early days as a young child riding the bus on his way to Tae Kwon Do class in Arlington, I have remained delighted with public transit.
That fascination has now extended to other mobility options, like ridesharing and autonomous vehicles. Whatever way you like to get around, it should enrich your life with humanity and efficiency.