“You can’t understand a
city without using its public
transportation system.” 
Erol Ozan

Growing up in San Francisco, I relied on public transportation quite regularly. In my elementary school years, I would take the #72 bus from the corner of Sunset Boulevard & Vicente Street to 5th and Market to visit my Dad at his fire station on Jesse Street. I would take the “L” Taraval streetcar from 38th & Taraval to the Parkside Library at 22nd Avenue. I often took the #18 Sloat bus across the Sunset District to soccer games and practices at Beach Chalet in Golden Gate Park. These trips did not require the accompaniment of an adult. Taking public transportation was safe, even for kids.

In my freshman year of high school, I’d take the #72 to 19th & Lincoln, where I’d catch the #28 to get to the other side of Golden Gate Park. There, I would hop on either the #5 McAllister or #31 Balboa bus for the ride up the hill to St. Ignatius High School, which was then on Stanyan Street, adjacent to the University of San Francisco. For the next three years of high school, I could walk to the new S.I. campus, located just five blocks from our home.

When I moved to San José in 1972, public transportation was unreliable. My only viable option was to rely on my 10-speed bicycle to get around. I could use the Greyhound bus or Southern Pacific train to get me from San José to The City, but local public transportation was virtually nonexistent in the Santa Clara Valley.

Through the years, both VTA (Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority) and CalTrain, which replaced Southern Pacific trains, have become quite reliable. I use them quite often.

In my retirement, I enjoy regular visits to San Francisco, for which I rely on public transportation. I take CalTrain from Santa Clara to 4th & Townsend. From there, I can take the “N” Judah out to Ocean Beach, the “L” Taraval to my childhood neighborhood in the Sunset District, or the #30 Stockton bus to either North Beach or Crissy Field. It’s a convenient way to get around, since my Clipper Card can be used on all forms of transportation. Other than that, I walk from one place to another.

Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, said, “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” A handful of rich and famous Americans, such as actor Keanu Reeves, choose to use public transportation, but the percentage of those who do so is miniscule. This is a sad reality, as the most influential members of our community are missing out on experiencing the daily lived reality of average Americans. 

As comedian Chris Gethard said, “Public transportation is like a magnifying glass that shows you civilization up close.” We need to be more attentive to this.