JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- I start the day by waking up early to catch the bus by 8:15 a.m. I'm trying to get to work by 9.
"I have to go through all of this and get my change for the morning."
It'll cost me less than $5.00 from the Southside."
That's important because my weekly budget while living on minimum wage is $255. I've spent $100 on food and $33.94 on gas. I can only afford to drive to work four days.
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Now, it's off to the bus stop near Southside Boulevard.
I wait ... and wait ... and wait some more.
The Avenues Mall bus arrives. The driver told me to wait across the street for a bus downtown. i make a rookie mistake by waiting on the wrong side of the street.
So i wait some more. On the correct side. Then, I look up and see that rolling down the road on the other side of the street.
"I missed the bus!"
I hop on the bus i hadn't originally planned on and i pay the fare. After almost an hour of waiting, I'm off to work.
On board, I do meet some nice people. One woman told me how tough it is to have to wake up very early to catch the bus.
after at least a half hour ... we arrive at the Kings Road Skyway station.
I hop on. I do get a chance to see some beautiful sights of our city
As we arrive at the rosa parks station, I have to search for the right bus to transfer to. Luckily, I find it.
Again, I hop on. The wait is long enough for me to reflect about the folks who do this daily.
"I understand what they go through now. I really really do. I'm frustrated. I'm already tired from my day and it's just beginning. I'm late to work."
After some time, my bus gets here. I finally arrive at my stop on union and A. Phillip Randolph at 10:20 a.m. I am an hour and a half late to work. a huge issue for my boss had this not been an experiment.
"Almost 2 hours. I'm here and i have a little walk to go. Almost to work!" On my walk, I reflect
"Personally, I can't imagine having to do that every single day. But for people who do, I can get a sense of what they have to go through and how tough it is."
First Coast News