I remember when I was a senior in high school and my friends would dream of their ideal car. I, on the other hand, would always say that I would be riding the Metropolitan Transit Authority to my destinations.

At the time, a fare was $1.50 compared to the cost of a car, insurance, license renewal fees, maintenance, and gas. I thought since I lived in New York City, there would not be much of a need for a car. Who would have thought that I would be singing a different tune three years later?

The fare has gone up $.50. There was a 3-day transit strike. Buses can’t seem to run on time and yet the average commuter like myself has no other choice but to put up with it.

If you spent your summer here in the city and relied on mass transit to get around, you caught a tan like I did. Standing outside in the hot sun, just waiting for the bus that never wanted to come was draining. When the bus finally pulled up, five or ten minutes after the schedule said it was supposed to arrive, there is no air conditioning.

I seem to be missing a piece of the puzzle. Is there something that the MTA sees that I have not? Obviously, with high prices all around, more people will park their cars and hop on a bus or train. More riders equals more money! It is no surprise that they are once again considering another fare hike.

So here’s another thing that bugs me. There are designated buses that only make limited stops in order to cut one’s trip in half and yet they run in packs. If three limited buses passed you by, expect to wait an estimated 15 minutes for the next one. That is not very effective in my view and eliminates the need for the printed and regularly updated schedules.

You have to love these truck drivers. I totally understand that deliveries are essential to area businesses, but city buses do not have much room to move around if your truck, aside from the parked cars on both sides is blocking 95 percent of the road.

Common sense says we should exercise a bit of road courtesy.

I would love to drive myself around, but I can’t. When you rely on people, you end up suffering the most. Frankly, I’m tired of it! With gas prices the way they are, drivers in the city as crazy as ever, and car expenses through the roof; MTA is the only way to go for me and the other seven million daily riders.

So what are our options? We can either walk, bike, or catch a cab. However, the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get around is the MTA. My prediction is that as the fare rises, good service will decline and I will have no other choice but to drive around in my little hooptie. Traffic in the city will become unbearable as it becomes overly congested. The car exhausts will pollute the small amount of clean air we have left in the city. I guess we will all have to get used to this in the coming years.