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Carla Saulter
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The 48 is everybody’s bus. The longest route in the city, it travels from Rainer Beach all the way to Ballard without once getting on the freeway. I take it from my home in the south end of the Central District to my church a little further north in the Central District, to my dentist in Columbia City, to the beauty shop on Rainier and Henderson, to Green Lake to meet my friend Donna for a walk, to my favorite coffee shop in the U District, and to Montlake to transfer to the bus that takes me to work — for starters.
I once had a driver — one of those cool guys who talks to you over the PA — who called the 48 “The Tiger Woods of the system: A long drive with a short putt to the beach,” and “Dr. 48, the heavyweight of the system.” The hip-hop group Blue Scholars wrote a song about it — a cool, “Posse on Broadway”-style tour of the city that is only possible on a route with so far to travel.
“Take six quarters out of the pocket / Drop it in the box / Hop the #48, off to pay homage / It stops often, I jot my observations, watchin’ / Citizens walkin’ off of the Joe Metropolitan / Proletariats and wayward sons / With old Filipino men speakin’ in they native tongue / And the day is just begun.”
Of course, there’s a down side to all this distance: The route is never, ever, ever on time (“Someday My Bus Will Come,” Feb. 21, 2007) — except, that is, on those days when you’re late to the stop. It is not uncommon to wait over 30 minutes during peak times (when the bus is supposed to come every 15) with no sign of a 48 and then see three arrive at the stop within a minute of each other.
More than one frustrated rider has written an open letter to the route. Here’s an excerpt from the most recent, posted on Craigslist under “Missed Connection”:
“Dear Bus Route 48: Let me preface this by saying that I love you. You know exactly what I need. When I lived in Greenlake and had those random appointments in the Central District, you were my savior. And you go right by Ezell’s Chicken! Score!… but [expletive], can you please be on time? like ever?...”
You can’t blame the 48. Driving the length of the city on surface streets, dealing with light rail construction, hordes of students (Did I mention it passes several high schools?), rush-hour traffic, and the University Bridge would throw off the most efficient and determined vehicle. I’ve heard rumors from planners, drivers, and transit geeks that the 48 is going to be split into two routes, the same way they split the 7. I’m sure I’ll be grateful for the more efficient, predictable service, but I know I’ll miss my all-purpose route, my ride to everywhere, Dr. 48, Metro’s heavyweight.
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