[SignalHillHiker]

I'm back in the office this week, for the first time since I went car-free in May, and instead of walking, running, or biking I've decided to give public transit a try.

Here, it's more or less still a social service for the poor, as opposed to an integral part of urban living. I've checked the route planner for a few things before (for example, from my house to the cinema) and it's usually about as fast as walking, rarely if ever faster than biking, so I've not bothered. But, as luck would have it, there's a straight route every 30 minutes from the top of my block to relatively near my office (it's less than a 10-minute walk at the end). So I ordered an mCard and am giving it a try.

It should be faster than walking/biking, and only about 15 minutes longer than driving.

Currently it's $2.50 one-way here, with discounts for students and seniors. When you buy an mCard ($5), you can fill it online in a variety of ways, the main ones being 10 rides for the cost of 9, or $78 for a monthly pass.