New shuttle route deserves a chance

To The Pioneer:

For Winter 2013 Quarter I was assigned a POSC1201 project that would investigate the reasons and possible solutions to a problem that was going on in the community or on campus. I chose a campus-based problem but soon realized that it also was a community-based problem. Later, I decided that now that I had some of the answers as to why this problem existed, I wanted to do something outside of class to actually fix it.

The problem was transportation to campus. As many car-less students know, there are no A.C. Transit buses that travel directly to the university from west down Harder Road or from South up Mission Boulevard, the major thoroughfares to arriving at the university. These students will also note that our campus is not reasonably near a B.A.R.T. station but rather on a very large hill. I found out while interviewing Stan Herbert and Derrick Lobo that the only way things would change was if A.S.I. sent out a survey and people voted on it. Keeping this in mind, I decided to write a speech for Spring 2013 Quarter’s COMM1000: Public Speaking class for the persuasive speech assignment that was aimed at getting students to request such a survey to be sent out from A.S.I. replacing the Hayward shuttle (for which there is the alternative A.C. Transit bus 60) with a South Hayward shuttle (for which there is nothing). When nothing changed, I decided to write a Letter to the Editor in Summer Quarter 2013 asking if The Pioneer would help. After it was not published, I almost gave up when Annie, one of the shuttle drivers suggested that I do a follow-up based on her observations of many students climbing up and down the hill every day. My follow-up letter to the Editor requesting a compromise to at least just stop at both the inbound and outbound east corners of Harder Road and Mission Boulevard ran in The Pioneer in Fall Quarter 2013. I was able to meet with Derrick Lobo where I was notified that the Department of Parking and Transportation Services would themselves be able to make such a survey for students and then act accordingly. The survey was sent out in Winter Quarter 2014 and we are seeing the results of this survey today in the newly-added South Hayward shuttle.

I am sure that any car-less person living south of the university would agree that last week’s article by Tiffany Jones complaining about this situation was uncalled for to say the least. As I have previously stated, those who use the Hayward B.A.R.T. shuttle have the option of taking A.C. Transit if walking up or down the hill is impossible or impractical. The students who have to commute to or past the South Hayward B.A.R.T. station have no such alternative. Jones did indeed cite the 500 of 1,733 shuttle-users who answered that they would find a South Hayward Station beneficial. This indicates to me that enough students have the same obstacle when they had to take a shuttle that went all the way to north Hayward B.A.R.T. and then had to take a bus or train back in the south direction.

I for one am grateful that the survey was even sent out. If it was truly not useful to have such a shuttle, it would not have been added. And if it is so wasteful to have the South Hayward route, then it will be removed at the end of the quarter. It is only running on a trial basis this quarter, and I think Jones should give the route a chance for more people to know that it exists before lambasting it as a nuisance to the people waiting in line.

Additionally, I would like to thank Stan Herbert, Derrick Lobo, Brain Swanson, The Pioneer, and the entire Department of Parking and Transportation Services for giving my proposal a serious consideration.

Sincerely,

Victoria Lathulerie