Column
My alarm goes off on a Monday morning and I am still dreaming about wearing my gold tassel, cap and gown while my name is called at the podium.
But before I reach out to receive my diploma, I open my eyes and think about how early I have to get up for school just to take the bus. Dream over!
The same routine goes on until Thursday — breakfast, getting ready for the day, making my lunch and going through my jar of coins searching for 50 cents.
There are incidents where I press the snooze button and sleep for a couple more minutes. Great! I missed the bus and now my morning is off just because I have to rely on some punctual bus schedule.
Traffic can get heavy some mornings, so I luck out at least twice during the week and barely make it in time at the bus stop. While I am still saving up for a car, every one of my friends and students attending EC has their own transportation. But what I noticed for the past semesters is the amount of students taking the No. 5 bus.
Carrying books in my arms and my smart phone in my hand, I couldn’t find a place to sit this morning. The majority of passengers are students, carrying their backpacks, listening to music, drinking coffee or reading material for an upcoming exam or lecture.
The Metro red bus makes a stop across the street and I see more students getting off.
With gas prices skyrocketing, more students can’t afford to drive to campus and instead rely on buses to get them there.
In a world of budget cuts, $5 per gallon gas and drivers that make bicycling as thrilling as cliff jumping, it seems like it’s just getting harder to go to college.
Thankfully, the bus system exists for students who are limited on transportation options.
Life would be much easier if Los Angeles had a system like San Francisco’s BART, but at least we can rely on Metro.
Taking the bus to school has not only taught me to be more appreciative of what I have, but has helped me become more independent.
Students like myself who cannot afford a car at the moment or can’t keep up with rising gas prices are flocking to public transportation.
