Meet Trailblazer Katya Duft

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katya Duft.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Katya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Before I moved to LA in 2003, everyone had been telling me that I wouldn’t survive there without a car. I was willing to prove them wrong. After all, I was doing just fine in Moscow, with its trains and buses. I did the basic reading on LA Transit system, and after all, how can a big city exist without public transportation?

The reality turned out to be somehow different. To begin with, it was hard to spot a bus stop, because many of them didn’t have shelters, only benches. Also, the buses ran at most every 30 minutes, as opposed to every five in Moscow. I was pleasantly surprised though that the buses were much less packed than in Russia. Also, a bus drivers strike happened right after I moved here, but thankfully only lasted several weeks.

It was still a pre-smartphone era, and I had to print out or write down my travel routes. I realized how important it was to know the exact zip code because one day I found myself in Montebello instead of Culver City. Apparently, Washington Boulevard existed in both neighborhoods! I lived in Los Feliz, and in my first couple of years, I really enjoyed going to the beach. Except getting to Santa Monica by bus from home was taking over two hours. Once, annoyed with the long commute, I asked a bus operator, “Do you think there will ever be a train going to Santa Monica?” “Not in our lifetime, honey,” was his answer. The time has proven him wrong. Ten years after our conversation, and we have our lovely Expo Line going all the way to the ocean!

In 2006, I finally decided to give it a try and get a driver’s license. My Russian instructor was a bit extreme. He took me to a Russian speaking neighborhood around Fairfax and Sunset and made me learn over there, not on a quiet street. I almost gave up several times, especially while learning to parallel park. Finally, I got my license, put it away in my wallet and forgot about it. When you learn to drive at 30, you are not as quick to react as a teenager, but driving in LA requires fearlessness. I was happy to get back on my buses and trains that were still not busy at all.

However, a financial crisis hit around 2008, and buses suddenly started filling up. I got a new job in Culver City, and fortunately, there was an express bus running to that area, so I didn’t have to worry. The route was going through West Hollywood, with a lot of Russians traveling by bus with me, so I felt very much at home. Then Expo Line extended to Culver City as well, and suddenly, I had several choices getting to work, either by bus or by train.

Several years later, LA Weekly published an article with a headline that I found annoying. It was titled “Why don’t white people take buses in LA?” To me, it was a bad case of stereotyping, and I really wanted to remove the stigma and show people that LA public transit was getting better and better. I had wanted to start writing a blog for a long time, so that seemed like an amazing topic. I created a group on Facebook and called it “Tales from the Bus.” My blog is four years old now, and I post there several times a week, encouraging my readers to share their experiences of traveling by buses and trains. As a result, many people confessed to me that they were afraid to try public transit or didn’t even know we had it, but I motivated them, and it made their life easier, without a need to look for parking, especially in pre-Uber times.

My blog ultimately brought me to storytelling. One of my readers told me about a storytelling event called BUSted that was held in Echo Park once a month. I met with its amazing creator Scott Schultz and have been participating in these events ever since. I gained a lot of experience telling stories there and worked up some courage to do other events, and even won the Moth Story Slam last year. That’s how public transit helped me transition to life in my new country and find a creative outlet!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I mentioned, while answering the previous question, it hasn’t been an easy road, but if you are determined, you can always find a way. The main advice is just to keep going and doing what you are passionate about.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My main creative “baby” is my public transit blog “Tales from the Bus.” It is four years old now, and I post there several times a week, encouraging my readers to share their experiences of traveling by buses and trains all over the world. As a result, many people confessed to me that they were afraid to try public transit or didn’t even know we had it in Los Angeles, but I motivated them to try, and it made their life easier, without a need to look for parking, especially in pre-Uber times. That is probably my proudest moment, together with encouraging people to open up and share their personal stories.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Find something that you are the most excited and passionate about, even if it’s not very “practical”, and start pursuing it! The Universe will help you with positive energies.

Contact Info:

• Phone: (323) 572 5599
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/483407231790494/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/talesfromlabus

Image Credit:
Thomas Walsh

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