Bus Interviews

Ok… so our first interview was with a college student, her name is Nicole Taylor. She had on her Burger King uniform heading to work she complained a little about the bus being late and I asked her if it usually ran late and she said “No not ever.” She told us her mom insisted that she stay on campus for two years before moving to an apartment near campus. Lauren explained to her about her town house and the prices. She told us that she rode the bus to save money to help with school and it was just easier transportation for her while being in school. Just as the bus arrived we concluded our conversation by telling her about iarc and our plans to hopefully build a bus shelter here at Tate St. where she was waiting. We asked her if we could possibly take her picture she smiled and said sure before she boarded the bus.

Lauren and I then headed towards the bus stop to get some more details from the people about GTA. We honestly walked around for maybe 15 minutes trying to find the right person to ask and quite frankly this was a quiet Saturday morning. So we decided to sit inside the depot and low and behold as we where watching news about Ike on CNN a lady walked in and sat down beside us. She was an African American woman who looked to be in her thirties. We decided to strike up a conversation with her, she immediately took to us and we talked for a good half hour waiting on the bus. We asked her if she road the bus frequently she said “Everyday, if not I’m walkin’.” We laughed together and she asked us if we where students we said yes and preceded to tell her about our project and our hopes of helping the riders out with a few more shelters. I asked her if a lot of bus stops had shelters she said “ no, very few have shelters you just mostly have to stand, and even if you walk to some shade just a few feet away and your not directly by that sign they will leave you.” I was astonished, I had know idea they where so strict. She began to tell us a little bit about her life, she had always been riding the bus she said when she was little her family traveled a lot, her dad was in the military. She told us she was ready to leave NC “somewhere else,” she said, “new people new scenery.” We where also shocked to find out that you have to wait an hour for the bus on weekends, we couldn’t imagine what it must be like to plan your whole schedule around the buses. Before we left we asked her for her picture she said “no, no pictures I’m not the photo genic type” so we said that’s ok and asked her for her name and she said “Lolitta Mills”. Since we don’t have a picture I’ll do my best to describe her, she had on a flowing floral patterned white and red blouse with crimson red gaucho pants you know the big flowing business pants and white heels. Her hair was pulled back in small rows of braids that formed a pony tail in the back, she carried two bags which where clear that seemed to be like a purse carrying everything a woman might need.


We made a lot of observations while we waited as well…. There was one man who came in exhausted and hot from the humid air outside just to find out that he just missed his bus and would have to wait another hour before it would return. A lot of bus riders are just like you and me one man walked in sat on the bench and pulled out his laptop. Stereotypes get attached to a lot of things and we begin to judge when really it’s just people like you and me trying to save money with just as much class as someone driving an expensive SUV, actually their smarter they don’t have to pay for gas. Seriously though, you gain respect for something you didn’t understand, that now with a little research, you do.