Before that momentous day of her junior year at Lincoln, my cousin had never ridden a city bus.

After that day, she had still never ridden a city bus, and she never has since. That day, she finally stopped bumming rides off friends and her father and got her driver’s license.

“Tri-Met sucks, Amelia. Never sink to that level. You’ve got to learn to drive as soon as you can. Riding the bus is for losers.” My seventh-grade self idolized the 17-year-old, but couldn’t help wondering how she could hate Tri-Met with such a fiery passion without ever having used it.

My dad is a big fan of car-free transportation (yes, he rides his bike to work), and my mom is usually too busy in the mornings to give me a lift downtown. So against my cousin’s advice, but to no great disappointment of my own, I began to ride the bus to school every day.

Sure, it isn’t the fastest way to get to school. I have to take two buses, a bus and the Max, or a bus and walk about 10 blocks. Driving may take 10 minutes, but even now that I have my license, I still don’t think twice about hopping on the 55 and taking 15 minutes to chill out and gear up for the day with my headphones on as the bus wanders downtown. My commute has become one of my favorite parts of school.

Besides, my life would be terribly boring if I didn’t ride Tri-Met. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met on the bus or the Max who have really opened my eyes to the world. Ever talked to a complete stranger who asked you seriously what it means to love your friends? I have. To everyone else on the Max that day, he was just a crazy man talking nonsense. To me, he was a philosopher.

I can’t blame those of you who live on Skyline (where Tri-Met doesn’t reach) and can’t take the school bus because you have zero periods, but when I see students driving to Lincoln every day from homes easily accessible by bus, it makes me feel sick for the world.

Just the thought of paying for a car and insurance, not to mention skyrocketing gas prices plus something like $10 per day for street parking makes me laugh. I pay Tri-Met $19 every month, and it takes me almost everywhere I need to go. Besides the obvious fact that driving to school costs a lot of money, think about how much unnecessary pollution and traffic you’re causing. Is it really worth an extra 15 minutes of sleep?

I don’t think so.

So, Lincoln, this is your challenge: get over yourself and try riding the bus. It’s not as bad as you may think it is, and I guarantee that nobody is above Tri-Met ? not me, not you, and not even my cousin, no matter what she thinks.