Some stories end with the hero and heroine riding off into the sunset. For married UCLA Writing Programs lecturers Tamar Christensen and Randy Fallows, their chariot is the Culver CityBus. For Valentine’s Day this year, take a look at how this Bruin twosome spends life together in the rideshare lane.
Why they love working at UCLA
Both lecturers in the UCLA Writing Programs, Tamar and Randy teach courses on English composition, literature and interdisciplinary writing. Randy has been teaching at UCLA for almost 20 years.
“I get to spend my days talking to young bright people about their ideas and helping them take these ideas to action. It’s a true privilege to get to do that,” said Tamar.
Tamar and Randy also teach courses on the environment and feel it’s important to model the action they encourage their students to take, making choices that address climate change. In their case, that’s not relying on a car to get around.
Why they love commuting by bus
The writers sum up their commute in one word: easy! Tamar and Randy say the bus takes roughly the same amount of time as driving, is safer, and allows them to be “intellectually immersed” in reading, listening to music, watching Netflix, preparing for work, or relaxing, instead of concentrating on driving.
“When we arrive on campus we’re not stressed out from driving or looking for a parking space. We hit the ground running in a much better mindset,” said Tamar.
And walking to and from their stops gets a workout in. They’re also saving over $1,000 a year not paying for a parking permit.
Why they love being car-free
When asked about going car-free, the response is: how much time do you have to talk about all the positives?
Almost every summer, Tamar and Randy travel abroad, relying only on public transportation to navigate their international destination. For them, riding the bus and train feels like a vacation, so the duo decided to recreate that feeling by not driving for a month. Ten days into the no-car experiment they were ready to sell their personal vehicle. That was four years ago.
“I didn’t want to fight traffic and parking anymore. It’s much cheaper not paying for gas, maintenance and insurance,” said Tamar.
“It’s far-less stressful,” said Randy. “It may take more time using public transportation, but that’s time you can use more productively.”
When they’re not seated side by side on their local bus, the pair can be found walking or riding bikes. Abandoning the car has helped the couple get to know their neighborhood better. “We’ve discovered more places to go, and made more friends.”
Giving up driving is smart financially, but Tamar and Randy say it has also made them feel more alive, vibrant and connected to the world around them. And they're sharing their love with the planet, maintaining a low carbon footprint, helping improve air quality for their fellow Angelenos and Bruins.
