Rider Spotlight: Linda von Braskat Crowe

News Articles
09/22/2005

If you’ve been around AC Transit any length of time, chances are you already know Linda, a.k.a. “The Purple Lady”.  A Berkeley native, Linda’s been riding AC Transit all her life, since back when it was still the Key System.  “I’m a rare native-born Californian who, unlike everyone else, never learned to drive.  I tried to learn as an adult, and it was quite apparent that this was not a skill I was going to master.”  After two driving mishaps involving tow trucks and body shops, Linda gave up driving for good.  “It was obvious I was not meant to drive a car in an urban environment.”  Since then, Linda has used public transit exclusively to get around.

Affectionately referred to as the “Purple Lady”, Linda’s always had a thing for the color purple.  “It’s just my favorite color. About 15 years ago I stopped fighting the urge to only wear purple, so I went with it and it’s been fun ever since.  Even the hair.  I’m just a purple haired little old lady”.

Actually, that doesn’t quite cover it.  Linda’s penchant for purple is more than just a color scheme.  It’s a lifestyle she’s pursued with uncommon dedication.  Everything on her is purple; clothes, hair, hair ties, socks, shoes, shoe laces, the earpieces of her glasses and the tint in her lenses.  (We didn’t check her underwear but we’re pretty certain…)  All her accessories are purple too, from the case of her Palm Pilot to her custom seat cushion.  Even her walker is decked out in purple.  She also sports a ring set with a beautiful purple opal, and a large purple tattoo of the Egyptian symbol of eternal life, in honor of her late brother.

“I’ve yet to find other monochromatic people as dedicated as I am.”  But she admits “It’s gotten to the point where if I don’t wear purple, I don’t feel like me.”

Her dedication to purple is matched by her dedication to public transit. Aside from using transit to get everywhere she needs to go, Linda has served on the Riders Advisory Committee for several years and the Transbay Taskforce for over ten. Not just because it’s good for the environment, though.  Linda loves riding the bus.

“Riding the bus gives me the freedom to start my day in a gentle way.  I can slowly let consciousness steal over me,  I don’t have to be all gung ho and alert when I leave the house in the morning, as people who head out into traffic in their cars have to.  I find it refreshing and relaxing, it really is a break for me.  There’s really something cool about coming over that HOV flyover, flying past that sea of cars waiting at the toll plaza and just zooming through onto the bridge.

“It’s great crossing the bridge on the bus, you can see everything; the city unfolding before you, the weather, sunrises and sunsets. And if  you’re paying attention coming home in the evening, you can catch the sunset over Mt. Tam in brilliant orange, with purple clouds behind it.  I just love the scenery and views. I can relax on the way home and let all the worries and cares of the day flow off me and I’m ready to do what I need to do there.”

Unfortunately though, it looks like AC Transit may be losing one of its most dedicated Transbay riders. After more than a decade commuting to her job in San Francisco, Linda was recently laid off.  So if your company is in need of an Administrative Assistant with database experience, drop us a line at aboyd@actransit.org.  We’d like to recommend Linda and put you in touch with an exceptional woman of color.