Eleanor Clifton: Oh the Places you Can go on Public Transportation

Growing up in a city where you travel solely by car, public transportation was never a consideration for me when I needed to get to point A to B. Quite honestly, the buses here in Lexington are considered very sketchy and for only the homeless or those in poverty (still holds the same today). When I asked my dad about it his candid response was "inefficient, limited, lower-income use, higher crime rates (when no data is given)." This notion does not make me or my father privileged- it is our experience that most have their own transportation.. it is just the view of most smaller cities have of public transportation.

However, I am very fortunate though to have been able to travel prior to coming to Brussels and have experienced using public transportation, in cities NYC, Atlanta, and London. My daily commute to work from 365 is shown below:

I jumped onto the 95 towards the Grand Place and rode to Troon. I preferred to get off at Science because there was a yummy takeaway place I frequented (ASAP). I truly enjoyed taking the bus and I favored the metro or tram. There is no “stereotype” or judgment for taking public transportation. This mentality should be adopted by other cities in the US, and not just large cities. Using public transportation can help cut down on exhaustion and continue the well fair of a city.

Public transportation can help metropolitan areas meet national air quality standards by reducing overall vehicle emissions and the pollutants that create smog. ... Most rail transit vehicles emit little or no pollution, as they are powered by electricity (FTA).