Bus Stop Minute 2: Mary O'Keefe

It's Tuesday in the middle of the afternoon and Mary O'Keefe is at the Paradise Road bus stop in front of Gourmet Gardens waiting for the 441 to take her home.

She's homeward bound from a doctor's appointment across the street at North Shore Physicians Group. She uses public transportation four to six times a month to get to her medical appointments.

She says it worries her to think that fares for The Ride will rise so steeply and that service is to be cut on public transportation.

She knows about the proposals the debt-ridden MBTA has put forth in response to its $159 million budget gap.

She usually goes home to Lynn on The Ride, an MBTA service that transports people by car. But this month she did not have enough money for it so she was taking the bus as a cheaper alternative.

Mary, who has had two knee replacements, reaches into her change purse and fishes out her fare as the bus appears in the distance. 

It's a beautiful day, sunshine, blue skies and mild temps but the 40 minutes she has been waiting has her looking forward to the bus door swinging open.