Last Ride on the Stormstown G Bus

As a resident of rural central Pennsylvania, I have waxed eloquent on these pages about riding the bus. When I bought a house in Stormstown in 2004, no public transportation was available from there. A few years later, they introduced the bus, and I was so glad. When I had a house disaster or a car problem or just plain challenging winter weather, I took the bus.

Alas, ridership on the G bus has not been very strong. A few months ago, rumors began to circulate that service to my town might be ending. In December, I discovered that they were not just rumors: G bus service to Stormstown terminates as of this coming Saturday.

The bottom line is that it was a money issue between the transportation authority and the township. It is not cost-effective to keep the bus in service to our area. The truth of the matter is, though, that the loss of the bus presents a hardship to some of us. Rural access is a complex problem.

T. Tiger insisted on accompanying me on my bus rides on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. He really loves to ride buses, and the G bus is our favorite of all buses for one simple reason: it is the bus that takes us home!

So, since I don't work Fridays, Thursday afternoon was our last G bus ride. I decided to commemorate the event with some photos, and T. Tiger helped out by posing as a bus rider, which he actually was. (You're heard about a tempest in a teapot, how about a Tiger in a teacup?)

As the bus cruised toward my stop, an appropriate song began playing on the bus radio. It was John Denver, with Take Me Home, Country Roads. It was so perfect, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Farewell to the G bus! We will miss you!
Thank you for every single ride.
From a Girl and her Tiger.
<3

There are no fewer than THREE soundtrack songs for this story and image.

First is John Denver with the song which our bus adventure concluded with: Take Me Home, Country Roads.

Second is this awesome little nugget from Johnny Cash, One More Ride.

And third is this one: Phil Collins, with Take Me Home.

Here are some prior blips that feature stories about riding the bus, and/or views out the bus windows:

CATA Announces Expanded Holiday Service
The Endless G-Bus Ride Into the White
. . . And an Even Colder Dawn
Cold Dawn: Tree Shadows in the Snow
Monday Morning: Into the Mist (a picture of my bus stop)
In Which a Day Is Saved by Breakfast at the Corner
View out the Bus Window: PA Winter
Winter White: Tree Row in the Snow
A Real Penn State Winter Whiteout
My Ride's Here: Taking the G Bus Home
The Bus Riders