You know you’re old school if you rode these buses and used transfers.

Passengers sit or stand.

Doors close.

Engine growls.

Move.

Repeat.

Modern buses can be quieter and smoother, but the older buses had personality.

You knew you were on a bus.

You could feel the machinery underneath you.

You could hear the engine working as the vehicle climbed a hill.

You could hear the brakes.

And sometimes you could hear every conversation happening within several rows.

The Transfer Ticket

Then there was the transfer.

If you’ve never used one, the concept might seem strange today.

A transfer was essentially proof that you’d paid your fare and were allowed to continue your trip by changing to another route, subject to the transit system’s rules.

The details varied by city and era.

Some systems printed a date.

Some printed a time.

Some used punches or markings.

Some transfers were small slips of paper that could easily disappear into a pocket.

And that little piece of paper suddenly became important.

You didn’t want to lose it.

You didn’t want to accidentally hand it to someone.

You didn’t want to discover that you’d gotten on the wrong bus and used it at the wrong time.

You kept track of it.

Maybe you tucked it into your wallet.

Maybe you held it carefully between your fingers.

Maybe you folded it and put it in your pocket.

It wasn’t glamorous.

But it worked.

Transfers Were Part of the Strategy

For regular riders, transferring wasn’t confusing.

It was part of the routine.

You knew that Bus A would take you to a particular intersection.

Then you would get off.

Walk to another stop.

Wait for Bus B.

Show or surrender your transfer.

Continue your journey.

A trip that might look complicated on a map was simply another Tuesday for someone who knew the system.

Experienced riders developed a mental map of the city based on bus routes.

They knew which streets connected.

They knew where buses tended to bunch together.

They knew which routes were faster.

They knew which stops had shelters.

And they knew which drivers were likely to be friendly.

Public transportation wasn’t just a way to travel.

It became part of your knowledge of the city.

Paying With Coins

One of the biggest changes modern riders may not appreciate is how important coins once were.

Before contactless payment and reloadable transit cards became commonplace, riders often carried exact change.

You reached into your pocket.

You counted.

Nickel.

Dime.

Quarter.

Maybe a few pennies.

Then you dropped the coins into the fare box.

The sound was unmistakable.

And if you didn’t have the right amount?

That could become a problem.