As the rain approaches this autumn season, it affects students who walk, bike, and use their scooter to get to campus. A great way to stay dry is to use the benefits of Public Transportation. Cal State East Bay Provides multiple forms of transportation ranging from free shuttle rides to local stops, ZipCar, and discounts on other forms of transportation such as AC, CalTrain, and more.

To ride the free shuttle available to students and faculty all you need is a Bay Card. For other discounts on forms of transportation like Bart and AC transit, they are available on an application called ClipperStart. ZipCar is available to current students, faculty, and alumni for a yearly membership price and short term rentals up to 180 miles per day.

Many students take advantage of the free shuttle service which takes them to the Hayward Bart Station while
making stops along the way. Transit passengers are allowed to view when the bus is arriving with real time updates, this feature is available online.

For many students the free shuttle is a great way to save money. LeJohnnae Vertrand, a CSUEB student, uses the shuttle about 5 times a week, in a short interview he stated, “It does take longer to get to your destination, especially when the bus gets crowded. But other than that it’s fine, they open the windows on hot days and it saves a lot of gas.”

Luis Roman, another CSUEB student, uses the shuttle about 8 times a week, he states, “It’s very consistent it’s always there and running, when I need to leave there’s always a shuttle I can take, but there are small issues such as the shuttle being full or there not being any room. But that’s normal on public transportation.” Axel Ayala uses the shuttle about 5 days a week, “I recommend it to other students because it’s free, but because it’s free it does get filled easily.”

CSUEB has been working on this issue of overcrowded buses. The shuttle requires everyone to scan your Bay Card so the system can keep track of how many students or faculty use the shuttle on certain times of the day. With this information the system knows which bus size to send at certain hours of the day. While the shuttle is free, students get 20% discount when using Bart.

For students, alumni, or faculty who have a valid driver license and prefer short term non-public transportation, there are Zip Cars available. Yearly memberships range from $15-45 dollars. Zipcars can be rented by the hour for $10.50 the hour or for the whole day for $87. For those on a budget there are also bikes available to rent on campus. As classes have returned to campus, CSUEB has the perfect stop for all students from all over the bay.