Tanya used to drive everywhere. When she worked for Hewlett Packard in Santa Rosa, the facilities were far from downtown, and there weren’t any shops or restaurants nearby. There was one city bus that entered the property, but back then, there was very little promotion surrounding public transportation and Tanya “viewed the bus as an inconvenience.”

Now, Tanya works in downtown Santa Rosa. “Working downtown has been a wonderful change. I can walk out the office door and get coffee, shop for gifts, and get food.” She commutes to work by bus or rides her bike along the Prince Memorial Greenway.

Tanya is dedicated to riding her bike and taking public transportation whenever possible. After taking a transit tour put on by a local organization, Friends of SMART, she was exposed to different forms of transportation from across the Bay Area, and “how easy it really is to get to so many different places without a car.”

The change from driving her car to using public transportation hasn’t been inconvenient, but very enjoyable. It takes her the same 30 minutes on the bus as it does driving her car and finding parking. Furthermore, Tanya likes the feeling of independence from her car. “It’s right for my health and everyone else’s health.” She looks forward to the current development of the SMART train, as “it will allow people to go to and from San Francisco without a car, and will also help bring people into our communities and the surrounding areas.”