Many people ponder "What would Jesus do?"  A couple years back I heard of the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign (the organizers suggested that SUV's would not be Christ's first choice).  

But in this age of growing awareness about global warming, and for those of us living in or near any urban area with public transit, should we also ask whether our faith leads us to get on the bus?

Here at MCC we've been riding the bus a lot more lately.  Partly this is out of concern for cutting carbon emissions.  But, as MCC staffer Susan Wenger shared in a brown bag lunch yesterday, concern for the environment is only the tip of the iceberg. 

It's a social justice issue.

Susan noted that many of the people who ride the bus depend on it to get to work. She noted one study that estimates to own a car, pay insurance, maintenance, gas and taxes a person needs to make $10 an hour (current minimum wage is $5.15 and scheduled to rise to $7.25 in the next two years).  In this country where many, including myself, grew up thinking of a driver's license as a right of passage for 16 year-olds and regular access to a car as perfectly normal, this challenges us to new awareness. 

Likewise, persons with vision difficulties or physical limitations that prevent driving also depend on public transportation for mobility and independence.

Susan shared that in the Lancaster area, due to recent federal funding cuts, bus service is in great danger of being cut by as much as 30%.  As a result, it endangers people's ability to work and get to medical care.

It's a People Thing

We often hear pastors talk about how Jesus carried out his ministry among the people whereever they were.  Susan noted that riding the bus often means you meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet.  From my own experiences riding local buses and a lot of Greyhound, I can say that I have a much greater awareness of the society that we live in than I otherwise would - the gift of numerous stories given and conversations overheard (we live in the era of cellphones) that provided windows into parts of our society where I have not lived. 

Walking into the crowd waiting at bus station this morning and knowing that this was likely the most ethnically, economically and ability diverse group I would be part of that day, I wondered whether the bus station was a closer image of what Jesus would want the church to be than the picture we often encounter on Sunday mornings (the most segregated time in our society.)  If we, as Christians, are to be little Christs, then riding the bus may well be a step in the right direction.

It's Good for You Too

From a self-care perspective, riding the bus also has a lot of positives.  Susan noted the following benefits, to which I'll add my own two cents:

• More Exercise/Fresh Air:  Even if you sit while you ride, you get to walk to the bus stop.  As someone who sits at a desk most of the day, even these few minutes of movement and being outside, rain or shine, are energizing.
• More time for prayer, reading, journaling:  I know my own rhythm of reading about the world, journaling about my life and conversing with God about both is much healthier when I'm riding public transit on a regular basis.
• Less stress:  Growing up outside a small town in Virginia, I used to think I would never live in a city.  Every time I visited one after I started driving I was always on edge.  Luckily, I realized it wasn't the city that set me on edge but the stop and go traffic, and the collective stress of people all wanting to be somewhere else.  Now, after living in a number of big cities, I've revised my promise to myself - I'll never live in the exurbs and have to drive to work every day in an urban area.
• Valuable Life Skill:  Big city mass transit systems can be daunting if you're not used the rhythm of the whole thing.  The more experience you have, even on smaller urban systems, the more second nature it is for you.  Especially if you're younger, mass transit can increase your independence and your adaptability to new places. 
• Costs less:  Since we usually think of the cost of driving as being the cost of gas, this one may not be immediately apparent.  But Susan pointed out that if you calculate not only gas, but insurance and wear and tear, the 24 mile round-trip from Lancaster to Akron would cost $11.52, compared to about $4 for the bus.

So, if it's an option where you live, try taking the bus.  The more people that ride, the less bus service will depend on funding decisions made in Washington or the state capital.  And that's good for everyone, especially those who depend on the bus to get them to work, school or medical appointments. 

Resources

Check out the following if you want to:

• Get involved with other MCC Care for Creation Initiatives or other Social Justice Advocacy opportunities
• Learn more about mass transit options in your area through this clickable map.  You can also learn more general facts about the benefits of public transit.
• Learn more about the Lancaster County transit system (for those of you that live nearby) and the ongoing Share the Ride Challenge that promotes bus riding and carpooling.