Imagine you're on a wacky new reality show that places unwitting contestants smack in the middle of downtown Rochester with only a map and $1.25 in change.
Your task: Make it home.
And you can't just call a friend to come pick you up. That's against the rules.
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You don't have enough money for a taxi, and it's too far to walk the entire way.
Keep it together.
If you freak out now, you'll never make it.
But, believe it or not, there is a way.
And some of us know the solution immediately.
If you're never more than a garage away from your own car, you may have forgotten that the bus doesn't stop running after high school.
According to the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, more than 1 million people ride buses in town every month.
So, even if you don't ride them yourself, odds are you probably know someone who does.
And, depending on whom you talk to, you'll probably get one of a few different views.
Buses are great
Joseph Brzezowski loves public transportation.
He loves it so much, in fact, that the 27-year-old city resident started a Web site in 2000, called TransitGallery.com, which features more than 11,000 photographs of buses, subways and trains from all over the world.
“I'm a big fan of public transportation because I believe that it saves me money from spending on high gas (prices), high insurance (costs) and other (charges),” he says.
An avid bus rider since the age of 3, Brzezowski believes that more Rochesterians should embrace mass transit.
“It can take me almost anywhere in Rochester,” he says. “And you don't have to rely on (navigating through) traffic.”
Kathy Marchaesi, marketing director for RTS, the branch of RGRTA that covers the city, says that the company receives compliments from passengers on a regular basis.
“People always tell us how good the drivers are, that the buses are clean and feel safe to people,” she says. “And in highly trafficked areas, there's usually a good response from riders on the availability and number of buses.”
Compared with similar-sized metropolitan areas in the United States, Marchaesi believes that the public transportation system in Rochester is right up there with the best.
“We have a very solid system, and we operate very efficiently,” she says. “And we're constantly looking at how to make service better.”
Among recent additions made to RTS service are weekend and evening service in Brockport and Albion, a route that runs from Greece to the high-speed ferry terminal in Charlotte and a shuttle that runs from the University of Rochester to various hot spots around town, including Alexander Street and the Blue Cross Arena.
RGRTA also recently unveiled a new user-friendly Web site, complete with online pass-purchasing.
“This is definitely a ‘driving' city,” says Marchaesi. “But for those that ride the bus, we try to make it the best it possibly could be.”
“It's all right. It's not bad.” 
“It's terrible. You stand around freezing waiting for buses. They need to build that underground terminal.” 
“It's fine, I guess. I don't really have any complaints.” 
“It ain't that bad. I don't have any trouble getting any places with it.” 
“It's bad because sometimes you have to wait for a while for your bus to come.” 
