Scheduled repairs have temporarily shut down the Metro C Line since Aug. 12, affecting some El Camino College students’ commutes.
Train service will continue to be suspended between the Aviation/LAX station to Redondo Beach station until Sept. 24, with bus shuttles replacing the lost service.
Student Jay Briggs, 25, is studying film and said he is frustrated by the ongoing repairs. Briggs added that when people don’t know what is going on, it create more confusion.
“While people still have to work or go to school, we can’t get to the places that we want to,” Briggs said.
Psychology major Tomas Ayala lives in Los Angeles and did notice some changes in his commute.
“My usual bus route to Figueroa [Street] has been altered and now the bus is dropping me off at 72nd Street, which means I have to walk a different way home,” Ayala said.
El Camino students who ride on Metro lines, even those not affected by the recent repairs, can receive assistance and apply for the Metro U-Pass program at the Basic Needs Center on the second floor of the bookstore.
Cal Fresh specialist and former El Camino student Paola Villareal said the Metro U-Pass covers 14 routes throughout Los Angeles County and “over 200 students” have gotten their passes in one week.
Massage therapy major Chelsie Jones, 25, regularly takes the bus using her Metro U-Pass which has allowed her to bypass the line repairs.
“The U-Pass has helped me save money on transportation,” Jones said. “I have never been affected by route changes.”
Other students who live locally have not noticed any changes in their bus routes or any cancellations.
Mayeli Poroj is a new student at El Camino and takes the bus from her home in Carson.
“Any recent route closures that have happened haven’t affected my bus rides from Carson to El Camino,” Poroj said.
Arts major Damien Quintero, who commutes to campus from Redondo Beach, said he hasn’t been affected by the repairs and “wasn’t aware of any cancellations of changes” in the Metro bus routes.
Regular Metro C Line service will resume beginning on Monday, Sept. 25 after the first stage of overhead-power line repairs is completed.
The second and third stages will close ten more Metro stations in multiple cities in the future. Dates for these repairs have not been specified yet.
For routes and schedule information riders can visit the Metro website or call 323-GO-METRO
