What I'll most miss about my standard commute: AC Transit's Transbay Express buses are the best, and the motorcoach-style, peak-commute routes are just plain sweet. Even boarding at the last stop by the Grand Lake Theater, I was almost always able to get a window seat. Most passengers have a row to themselves -- and about 20 minutes to read, listen to music, check email, or whatever. (Just don't talk on your phone. Please don't talk on your phone.) The views can be stupendous, especially as you roll right by scenes like this one, taken from my bus seat this morning.
By the way, that pea soup on the Bay Bridge's eastern span turned to blue skies beyond the Treasure Island tunnel, with San Francisco's buildings peeking above the fog as it burned off. Exquisite.
Although the transbay bus costs about a buck more than BART, it's worth it. I took it more in the mornings than in the evenings because I enjoy the twilight walk home from BART along Lake Merritt. But since the plush motorcoach transbay routes only run during peak commute periods, I won't be riding the express bus much after tomorrow. I'll miss it.
What I won't miss: I love BART, but it's crazy crowded during rush hour. I had an evening rush-hour ride a few weeks ago that felt a lot like like the scene in the Harry Potter saga where the Knight Bus lurches and squeezes between two oncoming vehicles. As someone who gets on mornings in downtown Oakland and evenings in the Financial District, I never, ever get a seat. But starting next week, I will. That's cool. BART is speedy and convenient and almost always on time. That's why ridership is going through the roof.
