Mr. Hidden Goes Car-Free

Isn’t it nice to have a car?

I know they get you very far..

And even when you do get stuck,

Then perhaps you’ll call a truck!

But every dime-

You’ll spend in time -

On oil, gas

and me and mine

Have decided to pass.

This story begins not in Des Moines, but in the busy and far off city of New York. I visited last spring- and while I have many takeaways from the big apple, I have made one big lifestyle change. This is one that I don’t think would have come about without this adventure. As those in New York do, I walked everywhere or made use of public transportation. New York has one of the most robust public transportation systems in the world, and a thought came to me on one of those trains. This was a local line in Manhattan and my friend and I were squeezed like sardines into this tube. Here, in the mix of people in every category one could surmise, I thought:

“Y’know, I don’t hate this”.

The snowball was rolling downhill from there. One of my top followers on HDSM also works for the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, (DART). I see references to DART online frequently. I also happen to live very close to DART central station. From my window, I watched almost every bus line pass by on their way to almost anywhere in Des Moines. I then learned that a single line passed my house and went straight to both a grocery store and my place of work. Riding the line instead of my regular commute wasn’t much of a time difference, either. It seemed really viable.

There was another more confounding matter to contend with- my car, though paid off, was incurring a monthly bill of $135 just to park it. This effectively made a monthly bus pass a luxury expense, particularly if I was going to keep said car. That was until another lightbulb shone above my head- I could loan my car to my brother, a college student who sometimes needed a car to commute from Simpson in Indianola to Des Moines, or back to Cedar Rapids to see Mom. If the car is in his possession, then I could cancel my parking spot. So I did.

My monthly local bus pass is $48. No insurance, no gas, no loan, no parking rent.

What I did not expect was the response that this decision would provoke. My colleagues were bewildered. HDSM viewers warned me about weird personalities on the bus. I received messages ranging from (honestly logical) criticisms of DART’s usefulness to those living on the edges of town to condescending statements about the kind of people that might be found on a DART bus. I will add, I don’t think all of these were meant to be particularly mean spirited, I can recognize that a lot was said in jest, but it did alert me to just how people in Des Moines regard public transit.

So what is it like?

I quite like the DART bus. I will recognize that not everyone could make the switch to riding 100% of the time as I have. That said, for me it’s pretty much always on time. I use the extra time to read or listen to music. It’s a wonderful way to ground myself before I am ready to go in to work. It’s generally very clean- though remember this story started on the subway in NYC so my standards for cleanliness started low. The weirdest person I’ve encountered on the bus was my own reflection in the window at night, I mean, I call myself Mr. Hidden. C’mon. I’ll share one delightfully midwestern experience I love- people frequently thank the driver even when exiting through the back door. My nighttime driver even waves to me if I cross the street in front of the bus. It’s a little thing that makes me smile.

I encourage others to consider riding DART. If you’re looking for a good opportunity for your first ride- downtown D-Line busses run in the daytime on weekdays between the Western Gateway and the Capitol and the fare is free. You can have your sculpture park picnic and go shopping in the east village without moving your car.

Unexpected Benefits

Lastly, I have noticed a number of benefits that I did not foresee. Before, I would make weekly trips to a grocery store in the suburbs and fill my car’s trunk with more than enough goods to get me through that week. As a consequence, I let a lot of groceries go bad. I can only buy what I can carry home now, and I cook everyday. My pantry runs a little leaner, but my grocery bill is smaller now too. I haven’t had fast food in a month- a personal record for me. I’ve lost about 10 pounds- and while weight loss may not be a healthy goal for everyone, my primary physician had been suggesting I make a major lifestyle change for my health for a couple of years. I am making better use of my apartment’s gym without the call of the car beckoning me to all kinds of distractions- and when I do need a distraction, downtown Des Moines is right out my front door.