Teba Gonzalez – USSW

My name is Teba Gonzalez, and I am a former Dunkin’ Donuts worker, but recently now working as a cashier at the State Farm Arena, in Atlanta, Georgia. I am also a member of the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW). I need reliable and good public transit because I rely on it to get me most everywhere I need to go. If I need to go out and shop for groceries or other needs, I take public transit. If I need a haircut, I take public transit, If I need to get to work, if I need to go to the doctor, or if I need to see my family and friends – I’m taking public transit.

I take a decent mix of the bus and the train, and most of the time I have to take both to get to where I need to go in Atlanta. Without a functioning system, I would need a car or need to move my whole life to another area. A good majority of time, public transit is going to get me eventually where I need to go. But the bus system is not so great. There is no real time period where you can completely rely on it. The updates on the online app are not correct, and it’s tough because buses being even 5 minutes early or late can make all the difference. I’ve missed so many buses because I looked at the app on my phone, knew how long it takes to walk to the bus stop, but then the scheduled time ended up not being correct. And there are plenty of occasions where I just can’t wait for a bus to come, trains are delayed, and I just have to spend extra money that I don’t necessarily have just to take an Uber because of time constraints. Even and especially to work – when I was working at Dunkin’, there were times that my manager asked if I could come as early as I possibly could, and I had to explain that first buses don’t even run that early. I would have to take an Uber for $30 all the way downtown to satisfy the manager. I had no other choice. Trains will take me to a certain point, then I have to transfer to the bus. When I lived in Lithonia I would have to take a 45 minute ride, and that was the only bus that would get me close to my home. I had no other options, so I often had to take a car ride. In my new work, I’ve actually met an older lady I work with that doesn’t live too far out from me. Her biggest joke to me is that when she doesn’t see me it’s because she made sure to leave two or three hours earlier to make sure she’s at work early enough to not be late. Two or three hours! A better system would get us closer to home, and would save us so much critical time in our lives. 

For access to jobs, I think it’s a tricky question. I do have to keep transit in mind during job searches, do homework on whether it’s possible to get there and  double check whether there is a bus line, train line, or multiple lines that transfer. to where the job is. And then sometimes you just have to make due. But it’s always in the back of your mind if it even makes sense for you to apply to that place because it’s two or three bus rides to even get to that area. In other parts of life, like seeing friends, I can remember times where I’ve wanted to do something or see someone, and you have two options: (1) look up routes and the many transfers to get there; or (2) have to cough up money to pay for an Uber. This can be a big obstacle to being a part of your community and socializing. In terms of equity and access, I think in certain areas in Atlanta that race and income are definitely factors. There are certain areas that I try to get to, where it’s quite hard and long to get to. I can imagine that there are areas in North Atlanta that they simply can’t access transit at all. I mean, we have one train going in four directions, but it misses so much coverage around the city. It would be much easier for people to travel around with more options. I’ve been semi-lucky, but there are other people that struggle way more where MARTA simply doesn’t cover where they’re at.

Funding for improvements would greatly improve my life and freedom to move. We need better communication and updates that are real and meaningful and accurate. Anything would be better than nothing. Let me know that the bus broke down or that it’s delayed, so I’m not left stranded, waiting, and wondering. Right now, I have to find this out by being at the bus stop and the bus doesn’t show or is delayed. Have often had to wait for an extra hour and not even be sure if it is coming at all. What am I supposed to do then? Be an hour late to work? We need much more frequency, reliability, and communication. The bus system really needs an overhaul. We also need a much more extensive train line that goes to more places and further on more stops. Also, there’s no one to ask about directions or navigating the service. People ask me on the street how to get around, and I don’t know how to answer sometimes. When I lived in New York, where I’m from, they had someone at the station that could talk to you about directions and support for using the transit system, so I would like to see that happen here in Atlanta too. 

The climate solution piece of transit is important.  I’ll be honest, it’s not something I think about all the time, but it definitely is important to me. I think things are the way they are for a reason because of who has influence on the decision-making. Wealthier people can get by without having a larger train system, and companies might like that because more roads means more cars to sell to those who can afford it. So that seems like a big barrier for regular people being able to get everywhere by public transit and help the environment and our health. It’s helping someone’s bottomline, but it’s hurting the air we breathe.