My Free Bus Ride Secret (Which I Do Not Condone)

by Summer Cohen

I use expired bus passes a lot. I just let my bus pass hit zero, and then I swipe it and it makes the no money sound, but I always have headphones in and act like I didn’t hear it. I was only thrown off of a bus once. Mostly I get away with it. That said though — CAVEAT — it did once result in a bus driver insisting I come back up to the front and reswipe. Then I had no cash to buy a temporary pass, and I had to walk home 30 blocks.

I realize that I deserved this. And that it was the universe showing me justice. I WAS IN THE WRONG; I ACKNOWLEDGE THIS. Buses are not free. I was trying to game the system and the system spit me out. This happened last Friday. I have not tried again with an expired pass. It is my hope I will not do so. I want to be better.

But. It would help if you could add money to your card online but in my city you have to actually go do it in person OR if you top up online you have to wait something like 2–3 business days for the money to actually show up on your card which, WHAT?? Stupid. I take it back. I’m mad at the system again.

Summer Cohen is a fake name for a real person who for some reason doesn’t want to admit to stealing bus rides, weird.

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