STAGE has seen big bus ridership increases since April, when gasoline passed the $4 mark.
Siskiyou County Transportation Services Manager Tom Anderson said July saw a 36% increase in passengers over last year, and the added revenue from nearly 100 daily new bus users has allowed the county to hold the line on fares for now.
Responding to increased demand, STAGE began Saturday service last week on a six month trial basis.
The paper caught up with bus driver Moshe Goldstein Tuesday morning on his Dunsmuir to Mount Shasta run.

Q: How long have you been driving the bus?
A: From the very beginning of STAGE. From the start. I started in 1983. I got to see all the evolution from the little buses to the bigger buses, to all the buses we have now.
Q: Did you grow up in this area?
A: I grew up on kibbutz Shefayim [in Israel]. The name means ‘the breeze from the sea.’ From the Mediterranean. Very beautiful. It comes from the Book of Isaiah... I used to visit friends here in [Siskiyou County] in the 1970s and I fell in love with the place. How can anyone not fall in love with this place?
Q: What do you like so much about this area?
A: I found America here. In little communities like this, you can meet individuals. This is what America is to me... It’s not the industry, the factories. It’s the people. Together in harmony.
Q: Can you tell us a story from your years driving the bus?
A: Two students who were attending College of the Siskiyous took the bus from Dunsmuir. I saw them talk on the bus, they fell in love, got married. They had a child together and stayed here until the child was 10 or 11. I saw the whole story on the bus. It’s beautiful. Beautiful. That’s the beautiful thing about this work. The people.
Q: Do you have a favorite route to drive?
A: I drive the same routes everyday. Dunsmuir, McCloud, Mount Shasta, Weed, Yreka. Look at what you see when you drive! (Here, Goldstein pointed to the Eddies, to Mount Shasta) It’s a panorama people pay thousands of dollars to come and see on vacation. Everyday is different. Everyday is a new day with new possibilities. That’s what makes the job so fresh. I carry students, elderly, people going to work. It’s all kinds of people I get to experience.
Q: Have you seen an increase in STAGE ridership recently?
A: Oh yes. From March and April, there has been at least a 20% increase.
Q: What would you tell someone who has never ridden the STAGE before?
A: Just try it. They’ll save a lot of money. The STAGE is very convenient. For many people, the bus stops just in front of their house. They can get out anywhere along the route. They just ring the bell. Some people I pick up in front of their house and drop off in front of their house. It’s very practical.
Q: After all these years driving the bus, what does the STAGE mean to you?
A: Let me tell you a story. A 98 year old lady would ride the bus. One day a COS student asked her, “What is the secret?” He guessed she would say, ‘No wine, no smoking.’ Instead she told him, “I don’t have time for self-pity.” His mouth was open at that, at this kind of wisdom. This is the kind of thing you see on the bus, the different generations together. It was so beautiful to see. She encouraged the young man to look into himself and find the answer. That you won’t learn at COS. That’s STAGE. It’s more than just driving from A to B.
Q: Anything else you’d like to say?
A: People shine in a moment of possibility. Beautiful flowers come out of it... That’s why I love this work. One word that I hope will become universal is ‘shalom’ Here people say ‘hello.’ But shalom means ‘peace.’ It is what Christ said to everyone. It’s just gorgeous.
Q: Toda raba!
A: Bevakasha!