What Was Public Transit Like For Teens With Autism?

Adventurous.  Courageous.  Thrilling.  Suspenseful.  Confusing.  Just a few words that describe our voyage on the bus and light rail.  Of course, it also depends on which boy answers that question.

We went with a group arranged by AZ Assist which is a local group formed to help young adults transition to adulthood.  AZ Assist had planned this "field trip", complete with a "tour guide" from Valley Metro, the company who runs the transportation.  There were many people of different ages.  It was a bit noisy for Ryan and Nick, but they were committed to the journey on which we had embarked.

We stepped on the bus and sat in the back as there was no room to sit in the front.  We sat on the very last row, which reverberated with the air conditioner.  It was so loud that we could not hear what our tour guide was saying in the front of the bus.  Ryan and Nick were able to survive the noise by enjoying the scenery outside the windows.  It was dark, so we could see all the lights in businesses that we passed.

Young Cam asked how do we let the bus driver know when we want to get off?  BINGO.  Good question.  Cam said he could yell to the driver.  I have no doubt he could, but not the best answer.  We found small red buttons on poles along the bus that said STOP. Someone pushed it, and the bus came to a stop at the next scheduled stop along its route.

After a short ride on the bus, our group of about 50 people vacated the bus.  We waited at the light rail station for a few minutes.  We learned how to purchase and validate a pass on the machine. Then we entered a train-like vehicle.  It was a quiet ride compared to the bus.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed the light rail more than the bus.  We showed the boys the map of the light rail, so they knew how to find the stops.  There is no access to the driver on the light rail, so the boys need to know where to find information.

About ten minutes later, we emerged from the light rail train. We had finished our quest.  On our trip home, I asked the boys what they thought about the trip.  Ryan said if was fine, but he declined to share more.  Nick said he was confused, but he offered a solution.  He said he would learn to drive a car.  Cam said it was fun to push the button on the bus.

Obviously, this was a new adventure, and we will need to repeat it.  This was a trip out of their comfort zone, but it was a step in the direction of independence.