Larry Blustein

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

 Rising gas prices force residents to make a choice, which has worked out just fine for many
   AVENTURA - As she waits for a bus in the back of Aventura Mall, Hortensia Ruiz of Hialeah tells a story about how public transportation became her only choice in getting around South Florida.
   A mother of two boys, 10 and 13, Ruiz, moved from Texas two years ago after she and her husband divorced. While a fresh start was on her mind, Ruiz was excited about moving to Miami, but she arrived at the wrong time. The job that was promised to her and the opportunity to provide something special for her kids were washed away in a second.
   “I left Texas on a Wednesday, on Friday, the company called to tell me that they were going out of business,” Ruiz said. “Stunned? I thought I would cry my way off the road. We had already given $3,200 for the rental, deposit and first and last month, and we had nowhere else to go.”
   Now, the happiness of moving to Miami suddenly was not amusing at all. The same economy that began its downward slide three years back, had reared its ugly head at Ruiz. It was something that she never expected.
   “The economy was starting to slide everywhere,” she said. “I felt now that I was here, I would have to make due and find another job. Going back to Texas was not an option.”
   Ruiz did land a job, but it required driving 34 miles roundtrip, which was fine. Her car, a 1993 Toyota was in need of repair. No air conditioning, needed new tires and a complete checkup. It was money that this cash-strapped mom didn’t have. With no family either, Ruiz understood that with everything going up around her, she would no longer drive a car. Add to the gas that went over $3.50 last year and you can plainly see what she was up against.
  “That is how I started to take the bus,” she said. “I had never had to rely on public transportation before. It really takes your dignity away when you can’t provide transportation for your kids. But they are great and understand that it’s only temporary. We will one day have it all.”
   As her bus pulled away for her 17 mile ride back home, Ruiz did offer a bit of sage Sunday advice: “If you are strong and want to succeed, you will,” she smiled. “I have these two souls who need me. I can’t give up now.”
   Ruiz isn’t the only story in these tougher  times where public transportation has become a way of life in the times we are living in. Carmelo Torrealba, who was born in Mexico and moved to New York City when he was 12, learned that public transportation in and around the Big Apple is all about the subway system. Sure, there are busses and taxis, but living in NYC, you don’t need a car - at all!
   “I know people are tired of hearing about New York is good for this and that, but when it comes to public transportation, the world needs to take lessons,” Torrealba said. “I come down here to Hallandale Beach and stay with friends. When they cannot take me places, I turn to a bus. Taxis are usually too pricey.”
   “The thing that really gets me about coming down here is that you can get from place to place, but it takes too long and there are too many transfers,” Torrealba continued. “Anyway, I am not a driver. Never really had to be one, so I am a slave to public transportation.”
   While many have long threatened that they would use public transportation if the gas prices didn’t go down, Kaci Myers of Surfside, 45, listened to her own advice. She travels 11 miles to work, and even relies on buses or taxis for grocery shopping.
   She had a 2006 BMW, started to use it less and less, and found that over the year she didn’t drive, she saved nearly $4,500 in maintenance, insurance and gas.
   “I make very good money,” she said. “But when I found that I really didn’t need the car, I tuned to public transportation. It's the principal of this economy that really gets to me. I am not alone in carrying out a personal protest."
   While many have been concerned with cutbacks made in public transportation, there is a reality that comes when taking a bus, taxi or riding the Tri-Rail is not an option. Dennis Triana of Hollywood would be lost without public transportation. His job in Pompano Beach is a mile from the Tri-Rail Station. Last year, with two sons in college and a mortgage that was slowly choking him and his wife of any additional funds, Triana decided to drive only when essential. This summer, with gas reaching $4 plus, things started to get more serious.
   "My wife has to drive to work," he said. "The buses that would take her to work would requite so many transfers, it wouldn't be sound. But for me, taking the train and then either catching a bus or riding a taxi clearly outweighed the costs of driving a car."
   While South Florida has never been the easiest place to get around without a car or motorized transportation, these tougher economic times have dictated that we start using public transportation, which has become more user friendly as the economy rises around us.
   "People look at me like I'm crazy," Myers said. "I get on a bus, open my folders and get a half hour of work done before I get to work. For me, it's a sound alternative, and certainly something I have gotten used to." 

   Have something to add to this column, e-mail Larry Blustein at sfsuntimes@aol.com or fax your comments to 954-458-0765.