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Jul. 13, 2008
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TAKEN FOR A BUS RIDE

Five hours from school, to doctor, to mall, to home

By RICHARD LAKE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
ON THE WEB: Online slide show


Jena Whitcher is between jobs and is taking a break from school. Because she doesn't have a car, she rides the bus wherever she needs to go. Here, she talks with Review-Journal reporter Richard Lake on Shadow Lane after a doctor's appointment.
Photos by Craig L. Moran



Andrea Poti, wearing traditional Muslim clothing, says she's been riding the bus for about a year and hasn't encountered any real problems. Though she missed her stop the other day, she says it's no big deal. "I don't mind riding the bus," she says, "but it's hot."



A man who says his name is Mike Robinson chats on his cell phone on bus 206. "Still on the bus, babe. Still on the bus," he tells his wife.



Review-journal

This stunt began, as all ridiculous adventures do, with a simple question: What's it like to ride the bus?

Would a guy who has never ridden the bus be able to make it from his house to Various Important Places and back home again for the cost of a Big Mac without:

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    • 1. Keeling over from the heat (or, possibly, getting mowed down by a car while waiting at the bus stop)?

    2. Getting hopelessly lost?

    3. Fending off an attack, Keanu Reeves-style, by crazy bus-riding zombies?

    4. Asking his wife for a ride home?

    Ridership on the local bus system is way up this year. The experts say gasoline prices are driving that trend here and elsewhere.

    So, let's go for a ride and see what happens.

    PLANNING THE RIDE

    I checked out the Regional Transportation Commission's Web site. I figured Joe College Student might need a ride to the College of Southern Nevada, then to University Medical Center for a doctor's appointment, then to the Meadows Mall for work.

    So, bus route 206 would take me from my house near Charleston Boulevard and Hualapai Way to CSN.

    From there, I'd head to UMC, then switch to bus 207 to the Meadows Mall, then home on buses 103 and, again, 206.

    I drove this route. It is 19.9 miles, which means I used less than a gallon of gasoline in my Mazda, about $3 worth at current prices. It took me 44 minutes.

    My online planning told me I could get a day bus pass for $2.50. If I wanted, I could get a 30-day pass for $40. That's a whole lot less than the $300 I'm spending on gasoline each month.

    But the bus would take several hours. The express routes announced last week won't run until next year. Besides, they wouldn't have worked for where I wanted to go.

    ON THE MOVE

    The nearest bus stop to my house is almost a mile away, which meant walking. Ugh.

    I set out at 7:38 a.m. Thursday. Sixteen minutes later, almost to the bus stop, I encountered my first dilemma: Buy something to drink at the quickie mart and risk a no-restrooms-on-the-bus incident, or forgo the drink and risk heat stroke?

    I chose possible heat stroke.

    My bus showed up at 8:05 a.m. carrying six people.

    I bought two passes for $5, one for me and one for Review-Journal photographer Craig L. Moran. The driver helped me figure out how. It wasn't much different than buying a Diet Coke from the machine at work.

    A few more people got on at various stops, so we totaled a dozen after a couple of miles.

    One woman did her makeup, one guy read a magazine, two had earphones on, the homeless guy fell asleep, and the rest wore blank gazes as we bumped down the road.

    Andrea Poti got on clutching a liter of cold water. She swigged from it. Sweat pooled on her face. She must have been hot in her Muslim garb, a headscarf and long smock.

    A few blocks down the road, CSN came into view. And then it left our view.

    "Oh, I missed it, I missed it," Poti said to no one in particular.

    I said the same thing, to myself, only it involved words inappropriate for print. I'd already screwed this up.

    Poti, a bus veteran, reached behind her and pulled the cord that signals the driver to stop at the next, um, stop. Thank goodness. I'd have kept on going if not for her.

    "I don't have a car," she explained outside. "I wish I did."

    She was heading to the library, next door to the college. She said she'd been riding the bus for about a year, and hadn't had much trouble.

    "Just crazy people," she said. "I don't mind riding the bus, but it's hot."

    Yeah, hot. Though the high this day never reached the 110-degree plateau that tells you you're crazy for living here, it was already over 90 degrees. And kind of humid.

    As Poti headed for the library, Craig and I walked back toward CSN and waited for the next bus. I contemplated how many drunks would be on the road at 8:31 a.m. I remained standing at the bus stop, just in case. After all, the police arrested a man just last week on a vehicular homicide charge after, they say, he was driving under the influence and careened into a bus stop, killing Patricia Hoff.

    Anyway, no drunks on this day. Our bus came 10 minutes later.

    I got off just across Rancho Drive, even though I knew there was a stop closer to UMC. I didn't want to miss my stop again. The pull-cord thingies intimidate me still.

    At 9:02 a.m., we exited across the street from Jimmy John's sub shop. To get the bus that goes to the mall, we'd have to walk over to Shadow Lane, near the Southern Nevada Health District's offices. Probably another three-quarters of a mile.

    CHANGING ROUTES

    We got to our stop at 9:25 a.m. and met Jena Whitcher, who was sitting in the sun by herself. I asked about riding the bus.

    She said it gets so hot people sometimes pass out from the heat and other things.

    "People shoot up heroin and stuff and they OD," she said. "I actually saved somebody's life. It's crazy."

    Because I had not yet been attacked by bus-zombies, I suspected she was exaggerating. Whitcher said she was not. It's especially bad on the downtown route, she swore.

    Whitcher, 34, has a tattoo of a tribal dagger on her neck. A large one of a female vampire with snakes or dragons or something in the vampiress' hair takes up most of her left forearm.

    Whitcher lives on H Street, which she said is a terrible place to live. She was hoping to see her kids this week. They stay with her mom.

    She isn't working right now, is "on a break" from school, and had to see the doctor this day to check for hepatitis C because of that saving-the-drug-user's-life episode.

    She abruptly stopped talking.

    "What is that smell? It smells like the sewer overflowed."

    I didn't smell anything. I wondered if it was me. My pits were soaked, my hair was dripping, captured sweat was overflowing from my eyebrows into my eyes. Ouch! Salty. It was 95 degrees.

    We got on the next bus at 9:38 a.m. and headed up Alta Drive. According to my planning, we would get off on Valley View Boulevard, across from the mall. I worried about the pull-cord.

    I mumbled about it.

    "It'll take you right to the mall," the guy behind me said.

    He was a rough-looking guy -- buzz-cut hair, big muscles, white wife-beater T-shirt and a bunch of tattoos, including a teardrop under his eye.

    But the bus dropped us off at Sears at 9:49 a.m., just like he said. It was cold enough in there to chill a 12-pack before the game.

    Craig and I headed up to the food court. I could taste the cold Diet Coke already.

    I saw the tatted-up guy in the wife-beater. He had a buddy with him now. I asked about riding the bus.

    "We both just got out of prison," said Dave Bockman, 45, Mr. Teardrop Tattoo.

    He'd served four years for grand larceny, he said. His buddy, Joshua Parkhurst, 24, also got four years, he said for battery with a deadly weapon.

    It seemed inappropriate, right then, to ask for details. I did a little checking later, and it turned out that Bockman was telling the truth. He has a whole bunch of priors, too, just like he said.

    Parkhurst ... well, let's just say he seemed like a nice guy and leave it at that.

    These two guys said they met on the bus. Neither has a car or a job, what with the prison past.

    "It takes a while to get all your stuff together," Bockman said.

    They recognized one another as ex-cons through their tattoos.

    "Prison tattoos, like in the movies?" I asked.

    "Let's just say tattoos," Bockman said.

    OK, then.

    They said the bus isn't bad, that it'll get you where you want to go pretty reliably, that it's nice and cool if you have the time.

    They took off, so we headed outside. I suspected we could have caught a bus at the mall, probably at Sears, but I didn't want to risk it. We walked over to Meadows Lane, where the Web site said to go.

    It was 10:50 a.m., 99 degrees.

    We got on bus 103 at 11:08 a.m.

    LET'S GO HOME

    "Heading north?" the driver asked.

    "Charleston," I said.

    "Wait for the south bus."

    Thirteen more minutes. It seemed like an hour we were so hot.

    We got off at Charleston at 11:34 a.m. and waited for bus 206.

    My wife called then, offering a ride home. Tempting, but I declined.

    Who wants to read a story about a guy who gets driven around by his wife?

    We got on the bus at 11:56 a.m. We counted 47 riders.

    We chat up a guy who said his name is Mike Robinson, 28. He said he's never had a driver's license.

    "To me, I feel I don't need it," he said.

    He said he's a cook at the Grand Cafe in Red Rock Resort. He was heading to work this day, even though it was his day off, for the overtime. He was supposed to be there at noon.

    "I already told 'em, whenever I get there, I get there," he said. Seemed reasonable from a bus rider.

    His phone rang, at 12:25 p.m., as I prepared to get off the bus for the last time, at Hualapai and Charleston, where I started.

    Robinson answered.

    "No, I'm still on the bus, babe," he said. "Still on the bus."

    I got home at 12:48 p.m., more than five hours after I left. It was 104 degrees outside. I collapsed in the recliner, asleep before dinner, and my dreams were zombie-free.

    Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.



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    Denise Douglass wrote on July 18, 2008 01:57 PM: This was a very interesting story and I'm so glad it was viewed with someone with an objective. I had the pleasure of riding the bus for a little over a year, since my car accident and I can not afford for a car at that time. I can tell you this.. It is 'NO' joke! You have buses that break down or late, they don't show at all and you don't know what's going on. Riding the bus system throws you off guard from you getting to work on time. I didn't like, but I had to endure it anyway. The bus system offer more routes then when I used to ride 20' somethign years ago to go to highschool, but It has not change in all that time to make it better and that is pathetic. I rather be in a my car and keep going even though the gas prices are high as heck.


    rainbowmandy wrote on July 14, 2008 05:41 PM: I started riding the bus to work occasionally as well to see if it makes a difference for me. (Spring Mountain/Durango to the Strip) The bus has shown up on time for the most part (or within a few minutes of it's scheduled time). There was one time it didn't show up at all and when I called CAT they couldn't give me reason why because their "GPS was down". Fortunately I still could fall back on my car. I haven't met any truly crazy people (maybe I should add "yet"). I enjoy the time I get to myself to read and I don't worry about other drivers in Vegas.
    CAT needs more frequent buses- if I had to transfer buses I wouldn't ride- it seems too much of a risk of late/no show buses- and to be waiting outside in the heat is no fun.
    I believe the more people use the bus the better it will be- so that is why I chose to ride the bus. I make enough to afford the hike in the gas prices and drive a civic.
    I have met friendly bus drivers and haven't felt unsafe on the bus so far (sometimes I come home late at night as well).
    When the weather cools down I hope to incorporate my bike as well.


    koopa wrote on July 14, 2008 01:05 AM: I rode the bus and bike combo up until recently as my sole mode of transportation. I have ridden the bus in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, Phoenix ( which is a screaming nightmare of a system ), Chicago, Columbus OH, and Miami. Public transportation is not just for one person. There is a system and it is dependent upon you, the rider, to understand the conditions under which it operates. Las Vegas is on the low end for fares. Go to LA and come back to me and whine about fares. I'll wait here.
    The bus drivers are human beings, and the ones I have been able to talk to tell me that the system was designed in a perfect world, without accidents, event traffic, constant road construction, idiot drivers who perform outrageous maneuvers in front of and around the buses, and road temperatures that don't get high enough to turn transmission fluid into sludge. Oh, and violent idiot passengers - like the ones on the Decatur route - the fella who shouted at the bus driver for five solid minutes about how he was twenty minutes late on a Wednesday and choice threats, sundry foulness, etc... until the driver turned looked at him, looked at his schedule and said, " Sir, you are looking at the Sunday schedule, you idiot." The moron of course had nothing further to add. Cue much giggling and grinning from the rest of the commuters.
    The system has to serve everyone, every dumb kid with a chip on their shoulder, every crazy off their meds, every free Rascal (tm), and has to be safe on the roads in Las Vegas - where morons bring their bad driving habits with them.


    Whateverusaydear wrote on July 13, 2008 09:41 PM: I had the pleasure this weekend of riding the King County Metro Bus system while vacationing in Seattle. What a pleasant difference as compared to the CAT system. Not counting the pleasant weather, there are plenty of buses and routes, they run on time for the most part, and it's cheaper than CAT (Seattle is also expanding their rails, but other than a couple of less than knowledgeable drivers this experience has been positive).

    I normally rent cars in other cities that I don't drive to, but the bus system works so well for me I did without the hassles of renting: pricey parking lots, traffic congestion (buses use the plentiful HOV and dedicated bus lanes here, and if I lived here I definitely wouldn't drive downtown, not with this bus system)... too bad it apparently won't be done in Vegas anytime soon.

    I've had to use CAT on rare occasions before the gas hikes, and I've always disliked the inconvenience of the CAT system (to give it credit, it is much better than LVT ever was). Even with gas prices as they are, I'll ride CAT as a last resort (unlike the Seattle system, which I preferred to a car).

    I just can't deal with the unpredictability of when the buses show up or the relative discomfort of the CAT buses (the summer heat of course doesn't help with the temperature inside the buses).


    Patrick wrote on July 13, 2008 07:28 PM: Excellent story. Found the people you encountered along the way very interesting. Great job!


    Jeremy Pruitt wrote on July 13, 2008 06:07 PM: I found your article very interesting and I am glad someone has finally wrote about the bus system. It seems to me, that if you dont have to be anywhere, the bus is the right mode of transportation....have you thought about testing out the city cab?
    Thank you for writing this article, It just assures me that I need to just pay for gas!!!

    Thanks.

    Jeremy


    Terry Clark wrote on July 13, 2008 06:01 PM: Richard Lake - Story on your bus ride experiment - it was great. First of all your insight to experience the system, the way you captured the experience with other riders, the salient way in which you presented riding the public transportation available to us in Las Vegas to meet your needs. Great Story - Terry


    Cisco wrote on July 13, 2008 03:44 PM: Mike has it right! The buses are loud-Not only are the motors loud, but the PA systems are also way too loud! I have seen people actually yell at the driver to heard over the recordings that tend to blast at times on certain buses; especially the older ones.
    However, the worst ones are the Deuce buses, which not only deafen you on the outside with their "Have fun; ride the Deuce" announcement, they also tend to be loud on the inside! "Go deaf; ride the Deuce" should not be an option!
    Although the routes I take to work and back generally run on time, my main complaint to the CAT system is: Turn the PA systems down please! Or, if you ride the CAT system buses, wearing ear plugs is not a bad idea!


    TimeRanger wrote on July 13, 2008 03:04 PM: The author should spend a couple of weeks on the bus to get a real "taste" of the commute - busses that are late or never show up at all.


    Jason wrote on July 13, 2008 02:42 PM: I unfortuantley have to ride the bus and I see what really happens, smelly drunks, rude bus drivers, and buses constanly break down, some don't even have gas gauges. It takes me by car 10 minutes to get to work, by bus, it's 35 minutes, granted they have to stop to get people, but does the bus need to sit at a bus stop for 5 minutes, they call it a "timed sto", I call it late for work. I have been on many bus systems in the country and this is one of the most pathetic systems I have ever rode on. As you can see, the people riding where either ex-cons or can't afford cars to drive. Then there's the handicaped people that takes up an additional 3-5 minutes to get them on and off the bus, Denver has a handicap bus that picks those types of people up, no folks, I will stay to driving unless I absolutly have to ride the bus, there's a lot of crime that goes unreported on the bus rides, but I do appreciate the option of public transprtation though. It can be run alot better, I think Denvers bus system is real good and I hear Seattle is really good as well.


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