He rides the bus around town
for one buck per ride or three
dollars a day for seniors. He
rides with Hispanics to the
barrio, with Jews to the Syn-
agogue, with blacks to the
lawyer’s office, with Muslims
to a prayer tower and with a
few cranky, old, toothless
white men and women who carry
their bedraggled belongings
with them in a cart on the way
to somewhere to meet a home-
less buddy or two who let
them know where to get a
free meal and somewhere to
sleep off the street for the
night.
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A fine portrait of bus-riding … a way to see America … hard-working folks … people struggling to make it through the day and make some ends meet … I often think, If I could get Paul Ryan on an LA bus for a few days, let him see people for what they are, and not the “lazy Ayn Rand bums” he thinks they are. When I ride the bus here, or the train, it’s very much as you describe it – thanks.
I ride the packed buses of a large Mexican city, full of day workers who are paid the
equivalent of $10 a day and pay the equivalent of 4 cents for a bus ride. Because I have a “retirement card” I only have to pay 2 cents. Most of the time I pay the 4 cents. Who am I to complain? Well, these buses are not air conditioned so I do silently
complain.