June 28, 2019
‘The first time I used the bus was when my car broke down.’ There are many people who are introduced to our service in this way. We hear that if they are ever in a similar position again they will definitely get back on board.
However, not many of those people sell their car after their first ride, but not many people would take a transcontinental road trip to Alaska either.
Adam is a local creative who first used Lextran two years ago as means to get around while his car was out of commission.
“There is a bus stop right at the end of my street,” Adam explained. “So, I thought, I’ll just [ride the bus] for a while. Honestly, there was a little bit of anxiety when I first started riding.”
That anxiety quickly subsided when we was cheerily prompted by the operator on how to insert his dollar into the fare box.
“The drivers were super helpful,” Adam said. “Every time I got on the bus or I had a question or felt like I was getting lost, they were there to aim me in the right spot.”
He had such a good experience with the operators and the community of riders that he had a thought most people would consider radical in 2019.
“It sounded crazy to me at the time, but I thought ‘I can just sell this car. I don’t need it,’ ” Adam recounted.
Adam realized that with the money he was saving by riding the bus and not having to maintain his car, he could invest those funds into a dream he’d had for a while: an adventure mobile. To him an adventure mobile can very specifically be described as a conspicuous, golden yellow, decommissioned school bus with “Licking Valley Head Start” still faintly visible down the side.
Inside the bus we found a full size bed, solar powered electronics, oven, sink, tons of storage, and much more. It was basically a New York City sized studio apartment with more natural light.
Adam is planning to take this adventure mobile to Alaska and back this fall over the course of a few months. He’ll be stopping along the way to visit national parks, unusual sites, and interesting cities. This is something he has dreamed about doing for a few years, and now he is finally about to set off on his journey.
We like his attitude about mobility and commuting, and we feel that it is pretty telling of what is to come in his upcoming adventures: “I hate routines. So for me it’s nice to change things up a little bit. One day I’ll walk [to work], ride my bike, or take the bus. It all serves me really well.”
If you see Adam on the bus later this fall, be sure to ask him what the weather is like at the top of the world.
