When I was a small girl, I was no more than eight years old, when my mother began putting me on a bus at least once a month to travel the 80 miles to her home town and where my grandmother lived. Elberton was among the several small towns Greyhound made “milk runs” through back in the 1960’s, so it usually took a good two hours to get from Augusta to Elberton. And even though the bus was usually full, I knew just about everyone’s first name by the time we hit Elberton. I anticipated these special trips to see my grandmother every month as a special reward. It allowed me to feel almost “grown up” and introduced me to the world of independence early. The same driver was in charge almost each weekend, so naturally he knew me well over the several years I bussed back and forth. He made me sit right slap dab behind him and if I moved, he watched in his rear view mirror as to exactly where I was going and who I was sitting with. If for whatever reason he didn’t like my choice, he would clear his throat rather loudly and that was my cue to come back to my seat behind him and stay there.

But that was the 1960’s in a much kinder and benevolent world. Today minors under 18 cannot even get a boarding pass without a parent or guardian along to purchase a ticket for them.

However, 8 to 14 years olds can still travel under certain circumstances so long as arrangements are made in advance and the destination is regional, with no changing buses from beginning to end. For older minors traveling alone, fifteen year olds and over still need a guardian or parent to purchase the ticket, yet are not bound by quite as many restrictions as those who are younger. The major reasoning for this is due to the many teens who decide to run away from home every year. With little funds available to them they know bus traveling is fast and inexpensive in comparison to any other means of mass transit traveling. But a teen without identification making it clear they are at least 18 won’t get very far without an adult guardian or parent in tow to buy a ticket from Jefferson Bus Line.

During the 60’s and 70’s traveling by bus was the way to go. Less expensive than trains and available to go into nearly every little berg and tiny town with a gas station, buses were a major mode of long distance traveling for millions of people. The mind set of America changed along the way and buses became less appealing. More and more young college students who used buses to get back and forth from home to college joined the multitudes of car owners. The need for bus travel waned over a decade or so. Smaller lines went out business, while the larger lines changed their routes to meet demands for travel to the larger cities. The days of the old

“milk runs” that once stopped in every other tiny town simply weren’t feasible or even in much demand. Today in our area there are two major bus lines: Jefferson Bus Line and Greyhound.

NUMBER ONE IN THE DAKOTA’S

Kevin John, the Regional Manager for Jefferson Bus Line has been with Jefferson for 19 years and in all those years, he’s pretty certain he’s “seen it all.” Watching him take calls, answer questions, make reservations, explain schedules is like watching an expert juggler with ten balls and keeping them all in the air. To say the least, this man can “multitask.” During our interview Kevin gave me a bit of history about the Jefferson Bus Line Company and how bus travel has changed over the decades.

Jefferson Bus Line began in the 1920’s and today is the second largest cross county bus line in operation. Playing cards and reading books are no longer the only entertainment available to travelers on board. Today, Jefferson Buses offer movies and are Wi-Fi accessible as well. For anyone who might remember the old days of bus riding and hours of feeling cramped with no leg room, Jefferson has changed that, too. Kevin tells me today’s buses have extra leg room for stretching and catching some needed “ZZ’s” for those on a long haul to places like Texas or Mexico (be sure to remember your passport if you’re going to Mexico) or for shorter distances such as Minneapolis. Jefferson has added a few new routes in the last year or so with the most recent going to Williston, North Dakota.

Jefferson has four schedules daily going to Minneapolis. Two of these go directly to the Minneapolis airport daily. These are usually full, especially the morning route, so it would be a good idea to plan ahead and buy a ticket in advance. This would also cost less, as little as $43. There is also a commuter bus that hooks into the Mall of America and hooks up with Greyhound Lines to the downtown station that can take you on a trip anywhere you choose.

For convenience, Jefferson has a website for purchasing tickets and scouring schedules.

Their website is: www.jeffersonexpress.com

Jefferson Bus Line in Fargo moved their depot in the last year and is now on 45th Street South. If you know what or where TJ Cigaro’s is, you are right in the vicinity of the Westfield Mall and the Jefferson Bus Line Depot. It’s a little deceptive, because it definitely doesn’t resemble the old bus depot downtown or for that matter, any bus depot I have ever seen. The actual physical address is 855 45th Street South, Fargo.

It is as clean as whistle and smaller than one would imagine. The nice thing about having the depot in this location is the convenience to restaurants, a couple of hair and nail salons, a tattoo parlor and TJ Cigaro’s is right across the parking lot for a place to relax and have a quick smoke if you need to feed your nicotine habit.

For those who don’t like to drive alone, have an older jalopy that just might not make it or are without wheels altogether, bus traveling is the way to get where you need to in a reasonable length of time and without spending yourself into debt to get there. The Fargo depot for Jefferson Bus Line is open from 5:30 a.m. until 2:30 a.m. every week day. For weekends, call their 800-451-5333 number to check the schedules or go to the website. In winter months if you have a reservation, just check your email if the weather looks like things might get nasty to be sure your scheduled bus trip hasn’t been cancelled or listen to KFGO for announcements , as Jefferson uses KFGO to spread the word of cancellations in winter.

So next time you are considering a trip somewhere remember this “See the USA, take a bus today.” All questions and comments can be sent to Soo at: asheimrote@aol.com