Well, after spending a few weeks bitching and complaining, I’ve decided to actually do something. That’s right. After just over 10 years, RTA and I have split up. Oh, things had been rough throughout the years, but I always came back. Late buses, missing buses, over-crowded buses… I was there through all of it. But recently RTA decided to take advantage of me in an entirely different way. Knowing that I always came crawling back no matter how badly I was mistreated, RTA cut me off. Yes, that’s right. Until now, they’d teased and held out sometimes. Been late or altogether missing sometimes. But I always knew it was temporary.

They claim the State has cut their funding and they can’t afford me anymore. Instead of treating me right and standing up for my rights, RTA opted to hold me hostage. “I can’t take you all the way downtown any more”, they’d claim. “And I can’t pick you up from downtown either”. I was crushed.

Surely, after all I’d given them, they’d at least make it more affordable, right? I mean, now that we’d be spending less time together they wouldn’t expect me to continue paying the same amount?

No. They wanted more.

That’s right. After ten years, RTA has decided that I’m not as important as I used to be. “We can’t give you as much service as we used to.” they complained. “And by the way, we’re going to need more money too.” WHAT?!!

Well, like any abusive relationship, I saw what was happening and did nothing to change it. For a week I took what they gave and thought I deserved it. Resolved to my fate, I stepped aboard the train everyday and took it.

Then one morning, crushed between the window and an amazing fat guy, it came to me. Seeing people crammed in the isle of the over-crowded bus on the way to the train, I thought “I don’t have to take this.”

The thought surprised me. Could I honestly just walk away? After ten years? It was scary. But so was the thought of paying more money to spend the rest of my life crushed into an over-crowded bus on the way to a train that would only take some of the way to work.  So was the thought of freezing my ass off waiting an extra 45 minutes each day to go home because while I could get 6 trains to the bus station, I could only get one bus from there.

This morning I woke up free. This morning I took my life back. This morning I drove to work.

RTA, you may think you can charge more for less and claim that it’s not your fault. But when you lose customers because of it, you’re only proving your ignorance. You’ve officially made it more affordable for me to get off the bus and drive. I hope you get what you deserve.

I’m gone.