As the economy continues to sputter, owning a car has become a luxury for many. Biking, skating or walking are decent options if students live in the neighborhood and enjoy working up a sweat. For everyone else there are taxis and buses. Taxi fares are downright unreasonable for most students, so the only alternatives left are the large vehicles operated by Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), San Diego’s regional public transit provider.
Navigating by bus or trolley may not be glamorous, but it gets the job done. MTS advertisements suggest their bus and trolley systems are a better way to travel. Going places should not be a challenging task or at least that is what they say.
Ask any student sitting on the benches in front of the bus stops, however, and they will tell you a different story. Cramped, dirty, overcrowded buses rarely arrive on time, breed theft and harassment, and underserve students taking evening and night classes.
Many students have no other option than to use public transportation, but it can be a grind. Early morning rush-hour commuters brave chilly weather and fight frantically among themselves to earn a spot on bus and trolley fleets that are frequently behind schedule. Travelers are packed in like sardines, leaving no room for the disillusioned stragglers who are forced to wait an extra 15 minutes for the next bus to arrive. Pass by the H Street and Palomar Street trolley stations at 7:30 a.m. and there will be a lengthy, winding line of irritated students waiting anxiously to board a bus that was supposed to arrive 10 minutes ago. Once on board, holding a handrail or seat is luck of the draw. Any sudden stops made by the bulky vehicles trigger a domino effect among the unlucky free-standing riders.
Students crammed in like a 64-pack of crayons makes buses moving dens of theft. There have been reports of stolen cell phones, wallets and bus passes, plucked from an unassuming victim’s pocket, purse or backpack. It is tricky for commuters to tell the difference between an accidental bump on the shoulder and a sneaky attempt at pickpocketing, making them easy targets for theft. MTS employees must abide by company regulations concerning maximum occupancy for the safety and comfort of their riders, which obviously does not happen.
Southwestern College students face another challenge in regards to their arduous commute. Only two bus routes, the 709 West and the 712 West, leave campus after 6:20 p.m. and complete their entire course. One lone bus, the 709, departs from SWC after 9:30 p.m., when many exhausted students are scuffling out of their night classes. Most night classes are out at 9:20 p.m., which does not give students much time to discuss important matters with their teachers or even use the restroom.
Many SWC students have no other form of transportation, work during the day, have children or family members to look after, or have other prior commitments. Night courses are the only opportunity they have to continue their education. These students cannot leave their classes early without being penalized, hindering their academic performance in the class. Disillusioned, defeated and faced with enormous difficulties in finding a safe and affordable way home, these students often drop out.
MTS, like any other business, takes many factors into account before making scheduling and operating decisions. In this struggling economy, extending service to one group often means cutting another. MTS could accommodate the needs of students taking night classes by adding two evening departures to the routes that run through SWC. Adding an 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. departure for routes 705 and 707 would significantly benefit many students living in the South Bay. To offset the cost of operation, MTS could raise fees for student monthly and semester passes by 50 cents. On bus routes where congestion is a habitual problem, buses could adopt the morning rush-hour commute trolley schedules and leave every seven minutes instead of every 15 minutes, for a period of two to three hours. This would relieve many of the safety, comfort and theft concerns that many riders have. Students, as well as all the other travelers who utilize MTS services to get around, deserve a pleasant, reliable journey.
