69: If you take the 69, you’re either a freshman, dating a freshman, or have a freshman’s sense of humor. Sorry, we don’t make the rules! You lug a stanky bag of sports equipment up and down the dark blue hallway and have no sense of direction. You frequent Angelo’s Pizza and claim it’s the best in town. You do everything in your power to get away from anything relevant and will probably move to a remote town after you graduate. But slander aside, you’re Cambridge through and through.
1: A classic choice, my friend, respect. You’re basic but are always down for an adventure. An ‘adventure’ to you is most likely hanging out near the Park Street station on Saturday afternoons and trying to learn tricks on your bike. You make fun of tourists for not knowing how to walk in the city when in reality, you’re just walking directly into moving traffic. You always seem to find yourself running to catch the bus because you spend too much time at Levain Bakery or Brandy Melville.
77: As a devoted 77 rider, you appreciate the long solo bus rides far down Mass Ave. You listen to a generic Spotify playlist to avoid ever having to queue your own songs. Middle school sports had a dominating presence in your life, but you never really found a passion for them and fell off in high school. You’ve probably let a bunch of your commitments fizzle out; commitment and decision-making are generally hard for you.
75: You frequently buy expensive overpriced lattes, but won’t admit it. You only take the bus when it’s too cold to bike or your mom won’t drive you. You love to talk about your crazy commute (it’s never that crazy) but you simply just want to mention that you took the bus. You always complain about the bus being late, but can’t admit that it’s you that’s always late.
83: Let me start off by saying that you know how to get around but think you’re serving downtown girl Pinterest baddie. In reality, you give frantic finance bro. You are always last to arrive and first to leave but you always manage to make a pitstop on your way home. You value a tight schedule and you NEVER waste time. You spend all night working on assignments but somehow can’t seem to turn them in on time.
As MBTA riders, our lives may feel ruled by the erratic and unpredictable bus schedules. We may feel subject to the whims of overworked bus drivers and 3 PM traffic. But riders, we caution you to find an identity and sense of self beyond the restraints of the bus lines. We must ask ourselves – what came first? You, or the bus? And truly, what determines your life? The bus? Or you?
This article also appears in our September 2024 edition.
