Take a class at SMC, ride the Big Blue Bus for free

Regular Big Blue Bus riders: Now's the time to enroll in that intro to guitar class you've meant to take since you were a misunderstood adolescent. Why? Thanks to the dealio SMC's worked out with the BBB, students can ditch the car and take public transit -- FREE.

In fact, you may be able to enroll in said guitar class for just $2. Seriously. Read on:

SMC, unbeknownst to most, has a very active student group called Associated Students. This group's super eco-friendly and progressive -- and accordingly, got the BBB to test out a pilot program, letting SMC students ride line 6, the sunset ride, and the crosstown ride for free.

Apparently, that program was a flying (riding?) success. According to Linda Gamberg, Marketing & Public Information Coordinator for BBB, the pilot program "went over so well the students themselves initiated this [new] program," expanding the reach to include all of the BBB.

"The original plan was that they [the BBB] were going to offer the rapid 7 only," says John Kernick, Director of Financial Support of Associated Students, explaining that the BBB proposed simply increasing the services and times for that one line. "I'm a bus rider and I've been a bus rider for a long time, and at the cost that we were expected to pay for the rapid only -- It wasn't a good cost-benefit analysis."

So the SMC students pushed for more -- discussing the issue at Associated Students' March 31 meeting (PDF agenda here) -- and got it. The final dealio  -- a.k.a. "Any line, any time" -- splits up the additional cost of the free BBB rides between the existing Associated Students fee and the student ID fee. According to Kernick, $14 more was required of each student -- which was translated into a $5 ID card fee increase, and a $9 Associated Students fee increase.

This is how it adds up. SMC classes cost $26 per unit. In addition to that, there's the $14 health fee, the $8 ID card fee, and the $10 Associated Students fee. With the $14 extra increase for the BBB deal, all of that will cost $72 come fall.

A monthly EZ Pass costs $70. Yes, that EZ Pass gives you access to some other transit agencies' bus lines, but if you'd been getting the pass just to ride the BBB on a regular basis, this means you can now get both the pass AND a one-unit class at SMC for just $2 more.

The new deal between BBB and SMC kicks off with the fall semester, which starts this August.

A key thing to remember is that students do have to take advantage of the program to ensure its continuation. "If we don't see students take the bus, this isn't going to pay for anything," says Kaya Foster, an SMC student involved with the school's Eco Action Club.

"In the future I'd love to see a public transportation system that reaches all the public colleges," says Kernick. Do you share that dream? Take a class at SMC -- and take the BBB to said class -- and help make that dream a reality. And if you're a UCLA student, ask your student body reps why you still have to pay to take the BBB to Westwood, while your compatriots at SMC ride for free.

Photo by Siel

Comments

[Yumi]

Actually, it would be a better deal than that. Units are only $20 for US residents

[KateNonymous]

Not just UCLA students--anyone with a valid UCLA ID. Plenty of staff ride the bus as well, and we ride it year-round.

Which raises another question: why will neither UCLA nor BBB consider making the Super 12 a year-round line, instead of just during UCLA academic quarters? An awful lot of people on that bus aren't students, and when it doesn't run, the regular 12 becomes like a can of sardines with people packed into the aisles until they can't move. And this is on the 7 a.m.-ish runs, not the height of rush hour.

[Brad]

When I was in my last quarter at UCLA (Fall 2001) they were trying out a pilot program with the BBB. It was the only time I ever lived outside of Westwood during school and being able to take the 1 line from my apartment was a godsend. I think I only missed taking the bus when I worked too late on campus and had to get a ride from a friend.

SMC also has satellite campus parking at their new Airport campus on Bundy so you can park there and then take the bus to the Pico campus (or anywhere!).

[UCLA student]

BruinGO used to allow students to ride the BBB for free. But then ridership hiked so high that the parking service - which paid for BruinGO - began losing money. Furthermore, users were treating BruinGO as a car - they'd hop on and only ride a few (very walkable) blocks. But UCLA was paying for each of those rides at 75c a person. The parking service began to require BruinGO users to pay co-pay in order to match supply (in this case, the amount of money the parking service could pay before losing money) with the demand for bus rides. Presently the co-pay is a quarter. BruinGO is an amazing program - it is an indirect form of financial aid particularly to those of us who don't have a car!!!

One classmate of mine figured out that his total cost of using BruinGO during the fall quarter was under $10. In the winter, he had to drive - and a parking permit was about $175 + gas, wear and tear, and guilt about solo driving.

[coco]

Yeah, BruinGo is only a quarter - so it isn't that much of a burden. Sure beats paying for gas and parking in Westwood!

And I totally agree with the the commenter that wonders why the Super 12 isn't year round. UCLA is certainly a year-round campus -- why doesn't the BruinGo program reflect that?