Ga. “I lost my car six months ago while I was out of work.” Reeves, 27, now
works in a law office in Atlanta, but has been using MARTA, the city’s public
transit system, ever since. He spends his mornings reading magazines and working
on his laptop during his 30-minute commute into the city. Reeves is only one of
many young African American professionals who, for various reasons, have forgone
driving to work every morning.
actually like the train. I don’t ever drive to work anymore,” Janeesa Adams of Atlanta
shares. “I’ve been taking the train for about a year because gas prices went up
so much, and its been the best decision I could’ve made. Traffic is crazy, and
this is so much [more] calming. I like starting my day on the train as opposed
to bumper-to-bumper on the freeway.”
The benefits of public transit are fairly obvious. It
provides an alternative to traffic, you don’t have to worry about spending a
fortune every week on gas, and for those who face a long commute every morning,
those are reasons enough to buy a pass and hop on a bus or train. But, for
some, there are other concerns to consider. “I hate to sound like I’m paranoid,
but I’m just afraid of the lack of security on the train,” shares Candace
Manoy, 33. “Where are the metal detectors? How do you screen who gets on the
train?”
Those are legitimate worries considering the amount of
incidents there have been in recent years involving mass shootings in the U.S.,
but, one could argue that those incidents happen in schools, malls and a host
of other public places besides trains. “I’m not really worried about that kind
of stuff,” says Reeves. “I feel like that could happen to you anywhere. You can’t
be afraid of every public place, so why treat [the train] any differently? If
it makes sense for you to ride the train and save some money, I think you
should definitely do it.” –todd williams