![]() ![]() Lavonda Jones pulls up to a Bus 39 stop on Buford Highway, with the Latin American Association seen through the windshield. A woman with two playful young boys boarded and she squeezed them all together into two seats next to each other. A woman with a black-and-white scarf wrapped around her head sat alone. On a separate trip, an older man in a white T-shirt pushing a cart covered by a blue tarp sat close to the front of the bus after boarding at the Doraville station. Marquez said he has lived along Buford Highway for 17 years and goes to the hospital two or three times a week. He said in limited English that he walks along Buford Highway every day. From there, he had about a five-minute walk to the hospital. To get to Grady, Marquez had to take the Gold line from Lindbergh to Five Points, then transfer to the Green line to get to the Georgia State station. He said he was going to Grady Hospital to pick up medicine for his diabetes and heart problems. On a recent Thursday morning, Pedro Marquez, 73, boarded Bus 39 at a stop in front of Plaza Fiesta. Jones’ other regular riders include CDC and IRS employees, women going to get their hair done at a salon in one of the shopping centers, DeKalb County crews working at a waste transfer station and people headed to the Goodwill Career Center in Northeast Plaza to gain training and find jobs. “Even when people are getting out their fare, I’m looking at traffic trying to keep that bus moving so they will get to the train on time,” she said. “The first three trips are people just trying to get to work, so those are very important times to me, making sure I’m keeping it moving,” Jones said. Without traffic or interruptions, she can make the trip in 45 minutes. at the Doraville MARTA Station and she said most of her riders boarding the bus that early are headed to the Lindbergh station to catch a train to get to their jobs. Lavonda Jones has been driving a MARTA bus for 15 years, the past three years dedicated to route 39. There is also a high level of transit use in the international community along the route, she said. (Dyana Bagby)įisher said Bus 39 has long been one of MARTA’s top-ridership routes, likely due to the high concentration of apartments and shopping centers on the route. The commute is about one hour each way, but Barajas said it is worth it to not worry about traffic. Marie Barajas lives in East Point and takes Bus 39 from the Lindbergh MARTA station to get to her job at a law firm on Buford Highway.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |