I've navigated the subway system in Beijing, China, and caught trains through northern Morocco. I grew up with a father who could get through airport security in record time and taught me never to be the one to hold everyone else up.
When it comes to finding my way, I like to think I'm generally pretty good at it. So the decision to take the bus for a week from my home off Brainerd Road to the Times Free Press downtown came from the desire to better understand a story I was writing about workforce mobility in the Greater Chattanooga region. Chattanoogans rely heavily on their cars already, and estimates show that by 2040, nearly 1.4 million people will call the Greater Chattanooga area home. The potential for even more traffic congestion is undeniable, local officials say.
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, or CARTA, operates the 17 fixed-route bus system in the city and there were 2.7 million trips (not passengers) in the 2017-2018 fiscal year. While more than 2.5 million trips sounds like a lot, census figures still show only about 1% of commuters over the age of 16 use public transit in Hamilton County.
Currently, CARTA is wrapping up a year-long study and public input process in hopes of redesigning its current bus routes. Officials say bus service can be designed in two ways: to spread service to minimize the walk to the bus stop, which could increase wait times, or to concentrate service to high-ridership areas to minimize wait times.
Unfortunately, the month I decided to give up my trusty Honda Civic for a week and take public transportation - in February - the Chattanooga area saw record rainfall. Some might call that poor planning, or great timing depending on how "real" you want the experience to be, but I'll just call it very wet and muddy.
The first thing I did was buy an unlimited bus pass for a week, which cost me $15. An unlimited bus pass for a month costs $50. Most people spend that much or more for gas each month and that doesn't include insurance, maintenance and a car payment if you have one.
Then, I signed up for GreenTrips, a free program run by the city that aims to incentivize people who want to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution by taking fewer solo car trips.
Every time that I chose to walk or take the bus in my seven-day experiment, which was at least twice every day, I could log the time and earn points that could be redeemed for coupons to businesses in Chattanooga. For new homeowners like myself, it can save you a good chunk of money at Sherwin Williams if you rack up enough points, which I did.
Over the course of a week, I earned 2,200 points and used 1,500 of those for $15 off at Sherwin Williams. You can also earn discounts for local restaurants, coffee shops, auto stores and more.
PROS
Fortunately, I live only about a five-minute walk away from a bus stop near Brainerd and Germantown roads.
The bus never took more than 10 minutes to come, and I usually left between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. every day, which meant that I could always find a seat. Typically, I rode with only five or six other people, but on the days I left before 9 a.m. or caught a ride right at 5 p.m., the seats were usually full with the 20 or so other passengers.
While my commute took more than twice as long - nearly 30 minutes via the bus instead of less than 10 minutes in my car - it was somewhat peaceful and enjoyable being able to listen to music or a podcast and not worry about traffic and the rules of the road.
As a reporter, one of my favorite parts of taking the bus was meeting a diverse group of people and seeing areas of the city I usually don't pass on the direct route to work that I take in my car.
While many people ride the bus because they don't have an alternative form of transportation, I met a woman on my way home one evening who prefers riding the bus instead of driving her car because she hates dealing with parking downtown and her company makes her pay for a parking pass. The bus is just easier and less stressful, she said.
I also met a man seeking refuge from the rain who played me a nice rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" on his guitar as I rode home one evening. You never know who or what you will encounter.
CONS
The weather was less than ideal. It rained most of the seven days, which meant I either showed up to work or arrived home soaked despite my best efforts to stay dry by always having rain boots, a rain jacket and umbrella. I can see why taking the bus and having to walk to a bus stop more than five minutes away would leave a person fatigued and jaded.
I also met a Chattanooga State student who rides the bus four hours round-trip twice a week to get to classes. He has to take three different buses to get from his home in Brainerd to the college off Amnicola Highway.
One day, I needed to get to a press conference in East Chattanooga and the closest bus stop was a mile away from the press conference location. I had to catch a ride from one of our photographers instead.
As I suspected, the bus system in Chattanooga seems only like a good alternative to a car if you live near a route and not far from downtown. People with cars who live farther away from the core of the city might quickly be turned off by the extra hassle. Though CARTA does provide Care-A-Van rides for those with injuries and/or disabilities who are unable to use CARTA's fixed-route bus system.
'HEART OF THE ISSUE'
Bert Kuyrkendall, a former city employee who is now a private transportation consultant, reached out to me after my Times Free Press story ran in March about factors to consider when it comes to building a city that encourages alternative modes of transportation.
A chart created by the city shows the mode share of other mid-sized cities in the country, including Boulder, Colorado, which had the highest share of residents who use alternative forms of transportation. There, 9% of people take the bus, 10% walk and 10% bike. In Chattanooga, only 3% walk and 0.5% bike on top of the 1-2% who take the bus, according to figures from a 2014 American Community Survey.
In Chattanooga, Kuyrkendall said, there are some important factors to consider, including land development patterns, induced demand and the quality of the bus ride.
"It's not enough to provide bus service, sidewalks and bike lanes. We have to build things closer together, which means mixed-use development in town centers and along corridors," he said. "Our current land development patterns are so low density and spread out (i.e. sprawled), you'd have to walk or bike 5 or more miles to get from your house to a grocery store, and most people will only walk and most people will only walk one-fourth to one-half mile to get somewhere (a five- to 10-minute walk).
Road widening projects that cost millions of dollars and years to complete also aren't beneficial and just exacerbate the problem, Kuyrkendall argues.
"As long as the state [Department of Transportation] keeps widening the highways coming into cities, low-density development will keep spreading out further and further into the natural areas and farmland outside the city, and we will become more and more auto-based," he added.
And finally, the quality of the ride experience matters, Kuyrkendall says. He calls the CARTA redesign study "really exciting" because it's getting to the "heart of the issue."
"The drivers are amazing and the biggest asset to the agency, but the buses are cheap, ride like they have no shocks and probably should have been replaced a long time ago," he said. "Payment methods have improved some but are still super-clunky and not user-friendly. I believe CARTA is working on these issues, and so I don't want to criticize my friends there too much."
If you are someone who has never had to take public transportation in Chattanooga, then I encourage you to try it at least once. You might be surprised at how easy, or difficult, it is.