I grew up in the South, where cities tend to amble out into haphazard suburbs. Public transportation in an awkward, gangly armed city just doesn’t work the same. Bus routes are segmented such that it can take hours to get from A to B. Tons of public funds can sink into a project like a light rail only to find that the train doesn’t go anywhere, really. Cars are crucial for getting from place to place.

Maybe that explains why I grew up thinking of public transportation as a last resort. I imagined grimy busses ferrying people who had no other choice but to languish for hours to get where they were going. As an adult, however, I started using the bus system to travel on field trips with my students. I also traveled to cities that introduced me to the metro: San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Paris. Turns out public transportation is accessible, convenient, and exciting! It was a huge perspective shift.

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