Even if Westchester’s transportation infrastructure is set up to funnel workers into New York City, more than 70% of commuters traveling across the Tappan Zee are on their way to jobs in the suburbs. Westchester residents work in Nyack, people from Orange go to jobs in White Plains.

As an MTR reader, you might wonder why more of these folks don’t just leave their cars at home and take transit between counties. I decided to find out for myself.

On an early morning in December, I made my way to the White Plains TransCenter, where thousands of commuters transfer between local and regional buses and Metro North. The Metro-North side of the center pulses to the beat of the train schedule. One moment, it’s completely still, and the next, it’s choreographed chaos, each commuter seeming to know exactly how long it will take them to buy coffee, walk up the stairs, and catch the train before the doors close.

Metro-North is great if you’re going north-south, but my goal was to go cross-county, east-west, so I headed over to the bus terminal side. There, I found myself not dancing but rather racing around to different stops, frantically reading signs posted by the various bus operators, to figure out the departure time and locations of each service provider. There’s no real-time bus departure information display, as there are in many other cities, which can help put passengers at ease, and also enable multiple bus companies to use the same stops.

Once I got my bearings, I found that I could take the OWL or the Tappan Zee Express across the bridge. The TPZ Express runs three eastbound buses across the bridge during the morning rush, and the OWL offers five more options. Luckily, I made my bus—if you mistime your commute, you’re liable to wait half an hour or more. Traffic, an uncooperative child, or a surprise phone call could be enough to make you miss your bus and start your day behind. If your boss needs you to stay a little late, you might be stuck for an extra hour at the TransCenter.

As I waited for my bus, I watched long lines of people queue up for arriving buses, waiting to pay their fare or flash their pass. I thought about how pre-board fare collection (as the MTA is starting to use in New York City on Select Bus Service routes) could speed things up.

After I got on board, my trip across was actually quite pleasant. It was getting to the transit center, figuring out where and when to catch the TPZ Express, when it would leave, and when I could get back that was 90% of the battle. Most days, the traffic is much worse, and unless you happen to work at the Palisades Center Stores, it’s likely that you’ll still have to transfer to another bus or walk a decent stretch to reach your final destination. And your boss is probably already waiting there.

Not only do today’s cross-country transit options often take longer than driving, they’re also more expensive. The TPZ Express will run you $3 each way, and though frequent riders can get discounts, even this is more expensive than paying the toll on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

With conditions like these, it’s no wonder that nearly 8% of commuter trips within Westchester County are by transit, but only 1.4% of cross-county trips are.

Employment growth in the three counties closest to the Tappan Zee is projected to grow by between 19-35% by 2025. Unless there is a better transit option, this means more cars on the road, more traffic congestion and a decreased quality of life for commuters and bystanders alike. And congestion will ultimately threaten this region’s growth.

Click here to read more about the proposals for Bus Rapid Transit on the Tappan Zee and ask the Governor to Restore Transit to the Tappan Zee plans.

Dani Simons is a sustainable transportation advocate working in the tri-state area.