“How you getting home?”
“I am catching the 640 at 10:30 then catching the 470 at 11:15”.
This is bus lingo, the language of people who use public transportation. As the economy continues to struggle, many students have switched in their cars for a bus pass. This allows students to save money on gas, insurance and car repairs and use the money they save elsewhere.
Riding the bus can give students the chance to save money, catch up on homework and help save the environment by taking one more car off of the roads. Students who take advantage of riding the bus can use the time on the bus to catch up on homework, reading, sleeping, talking with friends and using a cell phone. These types of activities are unattainable while driving, because drivers need to pay attention while they are on the road. Bus riders also get the joy of not stressing out about which route they are taking to school and leaving early to miss traffic.
Some students enjoy the opportunity to take the bus and not have to worry about money and time management as much. Others depend on public transportation as a necessity to get to school and work. Denise Shupe, a Weber State University freshman majoring in interior design is an active bus rider. She is one of the many students who ride the bus because she does not have a car.
“If I had a car, I would totally drive my car,” Shupe said about her choice of a bus or car.
Another hindrance in taking the bus can be working around strict bus routes and schedules. The bus schedule is different for every bus you take and times change from weekday and weekends. During the day the bus comes almost every half hour, gives students a chance to work with their school schedule and their bus schedule.
“It takes me a half hour longer then it would if I had a car, but it takes me right to school and it’s free,” said Shupe. “It sometimes makes me a little late, but not too late.”
Riding the bus does sometimes take patience and risk. Students who ride the bus are recommended to be at the bus stop a few minutes early and be patient enough to wait for the bus if it is running a little late. The risk of riding the bus is missing the bus and having to wait for the next one which is usually a half hour. If the bus is running late it could result in tardiness at work or class or even another bus.
Riding the bus may seem like a hassle to some students; but it can be convenient for other students or faculty. Teresa Holt, a 2010 WSU Graduate in Health Promotion, working at WSU as a student specialist at the Multicultural Student Center uses the bus to her full advantage.
“My situation is that I work an 8-5 job, so the bus is scheduled to where I get to work just before the hour,” said Holt. “Planning isn’t hard at all. It just forces me to get up earlier. I don’t mind riding it. There are a lot of interesting people and stories you get to hear.”
Riding the bus is not for everyone, but many students take advantage of the public transportation. The bus can help make life a little easier, producing more time to start and or finish up on homework or other activities. WSU enrolled students receive the perks of riding the bus for free. Students can pick up a bus pass in the Union Building.
