Vanpool

This is unrelated to St. Thomas but I think it is awesome.

Thumbsy lives one hour from me and we having been dating for a year even though I do not have a car. I now live at his condo and commute the hour everyday to work and back. How can this happen? Vanpool!

There is an organization here that leases out vans for vanpools. There are twelve people who ride full time and there are several part timers. Usually there are a few full timers who do not ride on any given day so the part timers can take their spot for $15.

Just so you have a frame of reference, the last Greyhound bus is scheduled to leave here 1.5 hours before I finish work, even though it is ALWAYS at least 1/2 hour late. For the low price of $25 ONE-WAY I get to enjoy being hit on by loud drunks, sitting by people who smell and on an unusually lucky day will get to enjoy family photos belonging to an ex-con who got out of prison that morning. Somehow Greyhound's actual travel time is about 1/2 hour longer than driving by car.

Vanpool makes two stops here in town (one is at my apartment and one is across the street from where I work and I am not lying). At the other end it also makes two stops - one of which is a block from Thumbsy's office. I get to work not just on time but early, so I can get more things done and I leave right on time. I am more relaxed when I get into the office because I've had on hour to relax and read, sleep or whatever versus my usual running out of the house late and getting in all frazzled.

Plus, I won a Jimmy John's gift certificate for entering a drawing on Clean Commute Day. Public transportation is glorious.