Fraters Libertas

I Don't Want To Cause No Fuss
But Can I Cry 'Cause There Ain't No Bus

Yesterday, I told you that the current issue of City Pages has an inordinate amount of material on the transit workers strike in Minneapolis. Today, I present to you one of the many "Rider Stories" contained within.

I'll start with 31 year old temporary employee Jill. She complains:

I could've had a good-paying job commensurate with my experience, but instead I have a temporary, lesser-paying job without benefits because I couldn't get to the job interview, let alone the job. I believe the state's trying to gut mass transit so it can be eliminated. That's just sad. A city without mass transit is not a city. Fairly soon, we'll be a suburb of Milwaukee. Just you wait.

Let me get this straight. This woman passed on a full-time job, I presume, that would have provided her with both good pay and benefits simply because she could not find a way to get herself to the interview? What a maroon! Any person can find a ride to any place in this city on any day for any single appointment bus strike or not. The options are out there if you take the time and the effort to look.

First of all, I’m sure Jill has friends and/or family in the area and that at least one of these people would have been more than happy to take her to something as important and possibly life-changing as a job interview. Pick up the phone and beg if you have to, but ask around. Unless you’re a total wanker, friends don’t mind lending you a helping hand now and again.

If Jill is indeed a total wanker, she then could have tried Dial-a-Ride which operates in most areas of the Twin Cities with fares “generally under $3”.

Several communities also still have full bus service including Southwest Metro Transit, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Plymouth Metrolink and Maple Grove Transit. While the entirety of the metropolitan area is not covered by these services, a good portion is. Check out the maps and walk or bike to the nearest stop and hop on. It ain’t ideal, but it’s an alternative to whining.

And finally, taxis are still available. I know that the ride may be a bit expensive but I would certainly consider it to be a feasible option for getting one's self to a job interview.

Now, you may be asking “How would Jill have commuted to work if she were to get the job, you unfeeling, uncaring bastard?”. The answer is simple. This strike is not going to last forever. No strike does. One day soon, the drivers will be back and the buses will be running, there will be much rejoicing and the local newspapers will find something else to blame on Governor Pawlenty. Until then, she could have used one of the options listed above or tried out Metro Commuter Service's ridesharing.

This is your career we’re talking about, Jill. Make the effort to make something positive happen rather than letting the opportunity pass you by and then wallowing in self-pity.