Editor:

I enjoyed the article "Another One Rides the Bus" (July 18) and would like to add my experience. Six years ago I gave up owning a car, just to see if I could kick the habit. It went better than I thought and the benefit I hadn't counted on turned out to be lots of extra free time. Yes the bus takes longer but that's only part of the picture. I share the use of a car with a friend. We go out together about three times each month and get everything done; Farmer's Market, laundry, shopping, lunch, etc. In other words, I'm now more efficient at running my errands. I never would have guessed how much of my time I had wasted before ditching the car! I ride the bus or my bike, get rides or walk to and from work, and for pleasure.

When I ride the bus, I have time to catch up on reading, do computer work, just rest or socialize. I've actually overcome my fear of "street people" and replaced it with a bit more compassion.

Is the bus perfect? No, but neither is car ownership and planning around their schedule isn't any harder than planning around any other time constraint. I'd like a later schedule to Trinidad but I'm thankful that the Redwood Transit System now runs on Sunday as I can take it to the Crabs game, have that extra beer and feel comfortable that my fleet of designated drivers will take me home safely.

There might come a time when I feel the need to own a car, maybe. Until then I couldn't be more happy with the extra time I have. That's what I call freedom!

Katrina Martin, Trinidad