By Robert Hatfield
In February I decided I was going to take the bus for a week. I never stopped riding. What started as a challenge to myself quickly morphed into a pleasant routine. I am currently a student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in the Memphis Medical District and during the semester I ride the number 2 or the number 5 to campus each day. This summer I have had part of my program out at Germantown Methodist Hospital, and I have been taking the 50 bus each day.
If you aren’t looking for the big green Memphis Area Transit Authority busses it can be easy not see them as they tend to blend into the background of the cityscape. Once you learn to see them you will quickly realize how many bus routes we have access to in Cooper-Young. The 2, 5, 32, 35, 36, 56, and 57 bus routes either touch or pass through our neighborhood, providing many options for getting around Memphis, especially Midtown, Downtown, and the University District.
MATA busses are also equipped with bike racks on the front that can make many more bus routes quickly accessible from CY. My summer commute to Germantown began each morning with a quick bike ride down Cooper to my bus stop on Poplar across from Overton Park. I would leave the house each morning at 5:45 a.m. and arrive at my stop around 10 minutes later. The 50 bus was scheduled to be there at 5:57 a.m. and was there within 5 minutes of its scheduled time. I would put my bike in the bike rack, swipe my 31-day pass and take a seat. My bus would arrive at my stop across the street from the hospital in Germantown each day at 6:34 a.m. where I would unload my bike to ride around the corner and into the parking lot. I would be drinking coffee in the break room at 6:45 a.m. each morning ready to start my day on time. On the bus I was able check the news, read and send emails, and relax while the bus cruised on down Poplar.
As the semester starts back up, I will enjoy getting back on my regular routes of the 2 and the 5. Both of these stops are only a few minutes’ walk and the bus ride itself is 15 or 20 minutes. With Explore Bike Share and Bird Scooter I feel even more connected. If I want to make a quick trip downtown from campus I can hop on bike share. Bird and Explore also make more bus routes easy to access and can make long wait times for a bus a thing of the past.
If you are interested in trying the bus or have questions about your route shoot us an email at info@cooperyoung.org. It cost $1.75 for one-way (cheaper for children and seniors) and $3.50 for an all-day pass. Additionally, MATA offers a variety of passes for purchase at their transit hubs that offer a significant discount if you ride regularly. Google Maps has all the routes and times, and they have a tool where you can use your desired arrival or departure time to see what route would work best. I enjoy the TransLoc Rider app. This app lets you see bus locations in real-time and shows accurate estimates of when the bus will be at a particular stop. MATA has also launched Omnilert, a messaging service which will allow customers to receive emergency/service/information alerts about activity occurring on certain bus routes. I signed up for this and I am currently subscribed to alerts about the 2, 5 and 50. I’ll probably take the 50 off of my Omnilert groups as I’m ending my Germantown rotation, but with Bird Scooters making quick work of crossing the neighborhood I think I might add the 56 that runs down McLean Blvd to my list of possible Medical District routes for the fall.
Hope to see you on the bus soon.
TIME SENSITIVE UPDATE: MATA is currently proposing changes to several routes that serve the Cooper-Young neighborhood. This includes the elimination of the number 5 route. MATA will be taking public comment on these proposed changes at publiccomments@matatransit.com until September 5th, 2018. The entire list of proposed changes can be located at http://www.matatransit.com/mapsandschedules/proposedchangesNOV2018.
