I spent $3 and five hours to get from the University of Guam to Micronesia Mall

A Mass Transit Experience

Last month, I begrudgingly spent $400 on new tires for my car. In a couple of months, I'll have to pay about another $100 to renew my car registration. The other day I spent $20 to top off my gas tank only for the fuel gauge indicator to laugh in my face as it sank below "Full." I think I even heard the cashier snicker knowing $20 wasn't going to do much but tickle my gas tank's appetite. Plus, if I'm being honest, this is still First Hawaiian Bank's car, it's not mine just yet, I still make monthly $200+ payments just to have her. And, my carbon footprint is enormous. This car had to be shipped here so I could ride around and spew carbon into the atmosphere.

As I mentioned on Monday, it's Earth Month. Improving public transportation is one goal of the Guam Green Growth initiative Better transit services are also part of the mission of the Guam Regional Transit Authority, the agency in charge of the public transportation system. Conceivably, if public transportation was better and more residents used it, we'd collectively lower our carbon footprint and there'd be less of a need for vehicles vomiting exhaust into the ozone or whatever.¹ (Scientists everywhere are cringing.) Plus, residents wouldn't always have to spend thousands on a car. Conceivably.

So, I decided this month I'd try to use Guam's public transportation.

I'm not the first to try it² and frankly I recognize it's a privilege to "try" this knowing that I have reliable transportation. The people I was on the bus with today, they don't have a car like I do. I used to report a lot on GRTA when I worked for the Marianas Variety-Guam (which became the Guam Daily Post) but I never tried to use their services.

When I decided to do it, I was scared. I didn't know what to expect. So I sent my brother and my sister-in-law this text as insurance:

“I’m gonna try to take mass transit to the mall today from UOG. So if I die (redacted) u have to fight my killer.”

Then, I decided on my mission: Enjoy a leisurely day at the mall.³

At first, I wanted to try and submit a job application to the Guam Department of Education using public transit. ⁴But! I saw the nearest bus stop to the DOE’s Tiyan HQ was McMobil, which was a 33-minute walk according to Google. In this heat? With Guam drivers no longer safer at home?⁵ I quickly abandoned that plan.

I opted instead for a simple route, go from Mangilao to the Micronesia Mall and back. I thought it was a regular activity someone would like to do, go to the mall and browse Ross or eat at Kebab Curry.⁶ A leisurely activity. I used GRTA's trip planner online (more on that later). I plugged in my coordinates like a scientist and the next thing you know my jaw was on the floor.

I found it would take most of the day on GRTA buses to go from Mangilao to the mall and back. I know the unemployed have nothing but time but damn we don't have the whole day. Our phone batteries can't last us all day waiting and I don't even think I'd know what bus to take if not for GRTA's website which I accessed using my phone. Like, the battery life on this iPhone 8 is not what it used to be.

Speaking of, I used GRTA’s trip planner on my phone. I found the trip planner is useful but also confusing. Depending on when and what bus stops you input, the travel times varied, sometimes wildly.

I selected the UOG fieldhouse as my starting point in the trip planner and Micronesia Mall as my destination. 📍I decided I wanted to get a head start on the day and chose a preferred time of 7 a.m. The trip planner showed the bus arrives at the fieldhouse at 7:25 a.m. and arrived at my transfer point, the Hagåtña Pool stop by 8 a.m. on the Redline. I'd wait at the pool for an hour and a half then get on the Blueline 1 which arrives at 9:30 a.m. then off to the Micronesia Mall, arriving at 10:11 a.m.

Here’s where things got confusing.

If I changed my destination to "Micronesia Mall, Macy's side," instead of just “Micronesia Mall” the trip planner showed that I could take the Redline getting on at 7:25 a.m. at the UOG Fieldhouse and I could get to the mall by 9 a.m. on the Blueline Express.

If I didn't think to switch up the bus stops in the trip planner and was only going by what landmarks I knew, I could be wasting even more time waiting for a bus.

Anyway, so my experience goes like this:

I'll have my minute-by-minute internal monologue on Instagram for anyone who wants to further torture themselves with the inner workings of my smooth brain.

I got to the UOG Fieldhouse bus stop at about 7 a.m. about 25 minutes before the bus arrived. I waited in the bus stop shelter. At 7:25 a.m. no bus showed. Maybe 5 minutes later, one pulled up but it didn't stop. The driver didn't even pause next to the shelter and the bus turned around in the fieldhouse parking lot and drove away leaving me speechless at 7:35 a.m. ⁷

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I decided to catch the bus at 8:55 a.m. and wait. Clearly the fieldhouse bus stop had bad juju so I walked three minutes across campus to the "UOG English Building Parking Lot" bus stop. Unlike the UOG fieldhouse bus stop, the “UOG English Building Parking Lot” stop is unmarked and there's no bench or covering. With over an hour to kill, I waited outside the RFK Library under some trees then walked to the sidewalk where I thought the bus stop might be at about 8:45 a.m. I didn’t see a sign. I wasn't even sure if I was in the right place. Thankfully at 8:56 a.m., I saw the bus and this bus driver paused and let me in.

At 8:57 a.m. I made it onto a GRTA mass transit bus for the first time in my life.

I was happy to feel the air conditioning on my skin and glad to see several available seats.

I paid my $1.50 fare. They only take EXACT change.⁸

The ride to the Hagåtña pool bus stop and the transfer from Redline to the Blueline 1 at 9:30 a.m. (+$1.50 bus fare) went smoothly and quickly which was great because I'd done nothing for, at that point, two hours.

I made it to the mall without incident. I browsed Payless and Ross and considered getting something to eat but decided on a coffee instead.

Now, here's where I fail.

There's a 12 p.m. bus leaving the Macy's side of the mall and if I caught that I'd get to the Hagåtña pool stop by 12:30 p.m. and hopefully get back on the Redline if not 12:30 p.m. then 1:30 p.m. which would then take me back to the ambiguous UOG English Building Parking Lot stop by 2:23 p.m. at the latest. Not the best time but not the worst.

I thought the bus would stop at the same area that the tourist buses stop, which is right by the entrance of Macy's. I called GRTA and asked if I would have to go to the side of the road or stay by the mall and there must have been a miscommunication because the woman on the phone said I'd just have to wait by the Macy's sign.

But mere minutes after 12 p.m., I was by the entrance to Macy's, it was sprinkling and cloudy overhead, and I saw the GRTA bus on Route 1.

It paused, let out some people and then moved on without ever getting off Route 1.

It turns out the bus stop is right on the sidewalk of Route 1.

I missed my bus.

Again, this stop doesn’t have a covering or a bench. I didn't know. Even though I was dropped off at that spot at 10 a.m. I didn't think that they also picked up people at that spot⁹ and I was too far away to flag down the driver. Plus, there were cars driving between me and the bus stop.

I checked the trip planner. The next bus would return to the mall at ….2 p.m.¹⁰ Or I could wait until 4 p.m.

I was defeated. Thirty minutes before I watched the bus drive away, I was anxious about getting onto the bus on time. I was annoyed that even if I got on the bus at noon I might have to face another hour of waiting. I had a jar of olives in my purse. ¹¹My phone battery dwindled as my hunger increased. And I was tired.

I called in a lifeline.

My husband swooped in to drive me home. By 2 p.m. instead of preparing to board another GRTA bus headed for the Hagåtña pool, I was home and showered and eating.

In Wednesday's mission, GRTA got the best of me. But I aim to best GRTA.¹²

I try to publish The Husk at 9:09 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But I'm here writing this at 4:53 p.m. having never finished the second leg of my adventure. A privilege I have is that people I love have cars so I’m able to get a ride and I didn't have to walk back home. But, of course, if you need public transportation that isn't always available to you.

I learned that a leisurely trip to the mall cost nearly my whole day (And $3). I learned that GRTA clients are the most patient people in the world.

Improvements to Guam's public transportation system are planned. In August, GRTA announced in a newsletter it received $9.5 million for more buses and to install charging stations and other upgrades. (Email your favorite reporters and ask if there’s a possible story on how this money has been spent or if it's been spent. If you don't have a favorite reporter, email me and I'll send you my faves.)

One improvement that I think can be done: Photos of the bus stops. Maybe that can be organized by village on a PDF and downloadable from the GRTA website. (I’m a freelancer and can be contracted to do that task. Just saying. ) That would help first-timers like me SO MUCH. I also think the trip planner is useful but it also could be fine-tuned.¹³

Moving forward, my plan this month is to try to complete other tasks using public transit so subscribe and follow along.

Now for some headlines.

Tragic news broke on Easter Sunday of former Umatac mayor Daniel Sanchez's death. Two were charged with murder. The Guardian picked up the Nicole Yamase story. I've been dying to talk to Nicole but can't seem to reach her so if anyone can help me, I'd love to write about her. Some FSM citizens on Guam who have been on the island because the pandemic caused FSM to close its borders may be able to fly back on May 13. The FSM President's office said, "The May 13th repatriation effort is targeted towards stranded medical patients, attendants, students, diplomats, and medical-capacity building personnel on Guam. All are destined for Pohnpei State."

This isn't timely, but this morning I came across this article from Bustle about Rachelle Bergeron, the prosecutor shot in Yap in 2019.

One more thought about Guam's mass transit system that I can't seem to shake before signing off: The bus stops that are on GRTA's routes now are conveniently located but the way Guam is laid out, it's still a trek to walk from your home to a bus stop for most people. I don't know how to improve this but if you do then tell someone in charge (and tell me I'd like to know your solution.)

If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter, please share it with them. If you have some GRTA hacks, please share that with me.

Thank you for reading. Write to you again soon.

Cheers,

Jasmine

1. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29207644

2. Kyle Dahilig did this before and I recall my former co-worker and friend Shawn Raymundo rode the bus and did a photo essay for PDN once plus my friend Jerick and I have talked about doing something like this.

3. If someone on Guam says “the mall,” they are always referring to Micronesia Mall. One time someone said to me, "Which mall?" and my brain stuttered. It never occurred to me that someone would consider GPO or Agana Shopping Center as the mall.

4. I figured a lot of people who need jobs don't necessarily always have cars so wouldn't it be great to avail of the public bus to get to and from your house to submit a job application or get your police and court clearances.

5. Not me becoming a pedestrian statistic and getting run over.

6. shoutout to Chef Kotwal

7. To be fair, maybe the driver knows the regular riders and didn’t recognize me as one so they moved along.

8. Some guy at the ITC bus stop didn't have exact change and he gave the driver more than $1.50. The drivers don’t make change. I don't blame the drivers either, they're booked busy and they have a schedule to keep.

9. I don’t know why I didn’t connect the two concepts.

10. While I was able to find the “Micronesia Mall Macy’s Side” bus stop sign and location, I still don’t know where is the "Micronesia Mall" bus stop.

11. Literally.

12. Or at least, figure out the bus stop locations.

13. I imagine the people who crafted the chic G3 website might know a thing or two about fine-tuning websites.