Commuter Spotlight
Keiko Tully
Commuter Services
When Keiko Tully joined the team at Commuter Services earlier this year, she was surprised to learn about the many commute options available in the Twin Cities.
Keiko grew up riding buses and trains in Japan, which has one of the best-designed and busiest transportation systems in the world. When she moved to the United States to attend college, she bought a car and left her public transportation days behind.
Less than six months on the job, Keiko was inspired to regularly commute by bicycle and bus!
Biking to work
Motivated by Commuter Services’ Bike to Work Month campaign in June, Keiko got her dust covered bike out of the garage, took it to a bike shop for a tune-up, and started planning her first bike commute.
After a summer of bike commuting, Keiko now has a few tips for riders who might also be considering riding to work, but who don’t know how to get started.
She recommends easing into the bike commute, especially if you haven’t ridden regularly for several years. Also, she says it’s a good idea to try out your route before you make the first trip, like on the weekend.
“My GPS said 10 minutes to bike to work but it took me 30 minutes. I was out of shape,” she explains.
Other tips: check the weather in advance, find bike parking at your workplace, and do a safety check of your bike and learn applicable bike laws.
And don’t forget to request free bike commuting resources from Commuter Services! Free bike map, tips for riding in traffic, bike routing resources and trail updates, and on-demand webinars are available at www.494corridor.org.
Riding the bus
Keiko was also curious about riding a bus to work but was intimidated to give it a try. When she learned about the free resources through Commuter Services and the tools on Metro Transit’s website, her reluctance turned into confidence.
Keiko shares, “My bus route is 537 – it’s close to my house and it stops in front of our office building, too. How convenient! My family can save money by not purchasing another car. It’s opened my eyes to know the possibilities.”
She recommends new riders request a customized transit itinerary from Commuter Services, which includes up to three trip itineraries and two transit passes.
Keiko also suggests riders download the Metro Transit app on their phone. The app allows riders to purchase mobile tickets to easily pay for fare on buses and trains.
