a little bit more Berkeley

The Fourth Street Shopping District is in a corner of the city where upscale, boutique stores flourish and some even have outlet-like offerings. Ironically, amidst the high-end retail stores, a stone’s throw up an alley street, is the SEVA Foundation, dedicated to “selling” gifts of service to help people in need around the globe. Since 1978 SEVA has helped indigenous people with health care and environmental and social justice issues.

The city buses in Berkeley cost $1.75. While the machines take bills, they do not give change, so if you are in a pinch with two dollars, but no change, you can still take the bus, but will have donated .25¢ to the transit authority. As far as I am concerned that is a cheap remedy for the anxiety of trying to find someplace to give you change. FYI – the buses in San Francisco are 1.50 and the same applies, although I was lucky enough to have someone behind me with 1.50 – so I put my 2 dollar bills into the machine – she put her 1 dollar bill and gave me the .50¢ change – an easy solution suggested by the bus driver who must have lots of experience with creative bus fare financing. The BART metro cards are not usable on the buses.

http://www.seva.org