Buses provide cheap way to see L.A.
Students without cars can explore various areas using public transit
By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
For students new to Los Angeles, exploring the city will be a weekend goal, but this also poses a challenge for those who do not own a car.
With only 22,000 parking spaces to accommodate the more than 65,000 faculty, staff, students, patients and daily visitors at UCLA, parking is at a premium, and the university has been pursuing public transportation as an alternative.
Third-year computer science student Ali Tehrani made his way around Los Angeles via public transportation after his car accident.
“I would take the Big Blue Bus,” he said. “It’s really convenient because it’s free.”
Members of the UCLA community can ride the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus system for free because of the BruinGo! program, which allows them to ride by swiping their Bruin Cards.
The Big Blue Bus system extends from UCLA west to the Santa Monica Pier, east to Beverly Hills, and as far south as the Los Angeles International Airport.
“BruinGo! is among the least expensive transit programs because Santa Monica lines are so economical,” Donald Shoup, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, said to the Daily Bruin in an article dated April 2.
Because not all lines pass UCLA, students can transfer between buses throughout the system by asking the driver for a transfer coupon, which is also free. A student wishing to take the Big Blue Bus to areas east of campus, for example, would have to change buses since only Lines 1, 2, 3, 8 and 12 head to UCLA, while Lines 5, 7 and 13 run east to Beverly Hills.
Transportation Services implemented the BruinGo! program during the 2000-01 school year. After recording more than 700,000 swipes, officials decided to extend the service for another year, though they suspended the program for the summer.
UCLA transportation officials say they plan to market the BruinGo! program more vigorously this summer than last, and they hope for a greater ridership next year.
For those who wish to venture beyond the route limitations of the Big Blue Bus, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, also known as MTA or the Metro, is an economical option.
The MTA, covering 1,400 square miles in L.A. County, provides college students a $30 discounted monthly pass. The pass includes unlimited use of the more than 200 bus lines MTA operates, containing routes that extend east to the San Bernardino County Line, south to Long Beach Harbor and north to Lancaster and Palmdale.
In addition, pass holders have unlimited access to the metro rail system, which currently contains two lines and, according to MTA spokesman Gary Wosk, plans to expand to 22 in the near future.
Riders can use the trip planner on the MTA Web site to find proper transfers and connections during a trip.
Though riding on city buses and subways can be an intimidating experience, Wosk said law enforcement is present at every station.
“You’ll have a safe trip on our buses,” Wosk said. “There are surveillance cameras on every bus and station, and the stations are in an open-air environment where committing a crime can be difficult.”
While the BruinGo! program and MTA are the two most accessible public transportation systems around campus, other options include the Culver City bus line and Commuter Express, which covers Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley.
For students who choose to drive to UCLA, Parking Services issues parking permits on a need-based point system that considers class standing, employment, academic obligations and commuter distance.
But even with plans to build a parking structure that would provide an additional 1,500 spaces underneath the intramural field, many first-year students won’t be issued a permit.
But UCLA has recognized the need for public transportation, and students without cars wishing to venture outside Westwood Village can take advantage of inexpensive bus systems to experience Los Angeles.
BRUINGO! TRANSIT PASS PILOT PROGRAM When the BruinGo! program resumes in the fall, UCLA students and faculty will be able to ride the Big Blue Bus for free by swiping their BruinCard. Click on the map to see a larger image SOURCE: www.transportation.ucla.edu/bruingo/smbusmap.gif Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by CHRISTINE TAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
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