As many students who use the Downtown Line to get into Baltimore already know, the service has experienced some upheaval over the past semester. In the past, the line has been operated as a partnership between UMBC and UMB, with a large percentage of the ridership being UMB personnel traveling to and from the 195 park and ride.
This fall, UMB opted to discontinue financial support for the line. Thanks to the combined efforts of UMBC undergraduate and graduate students, the line continues to operate (albeit on a reduced schedule).
A problem that has existed before this trouble started is the limited number of seats on the buses. Rather than allow riders to stand, presumably for safety reasons, the buses frequently leave passengers behind. When combined with the new limited schedule, these abandoned riders must wait at least a full hour for the next bus.
From my perspective, I feel that since UMBC has opted to abosrb the cost of maintaining this service, UMBC undergraduate and graduate students should be given priority when passengers are being seated. We are charged transit fees every semester to pay for this transit line, so it seems especially unfair for us to be left behind.
I'm interested to hear your comments about this issue, especially if you use this or any of the other UMBC Transit bus lines. I've also sent this post directly to UMBC Transit; they can be reached at transit@umbc.edu.
Attention: UMBC Downtown Line Riders
Thursday, January 15, 2009Posted by at 8:55 PM
Labels: steelwolf, UMBC Transit
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5 comments:
From what I had heard previously, UMB staff and faculty had to pay a fee for the first time last semester in order to use the downtown shuttle from UMBC. The fee was a tiny fraction of what we have to pay as UMBC students (regardless of whether we use the service or not!!).
Not only do we pay more, some of us don't have family or friends with cars in the area, so once we're left behind, tough luck - have to be late for all classes and meetings. In order to avoid this scenario and secure my place in line, I have had to wait a full 30 minutes outside in the freezing cold, along with 40 other miserable people.
I would love for UMBC students to get priority; I don't know how easy it would be to implement. Ideally, 2 extra lines in the afternoon are needed to accommodate all the riders that are being brought to UMB in the morning, but that would be even harder to get than priority for students. Regardless of what happens with the schedule, I don't think I can take half-hour adventures in the Arctic for much longer.
I would like to point out that if you're in the city and you miss a UMBC Transit Bus, there is undoubtedly a 35 bus stop within a two or three minute walk since the routes in the city are similar. The 35 only runs every half hour but it is a better option than waiting an hour.
And although the 'priority' idea makes sense theoretically, with there being multiple stops I'm not sure how you'd implement it. You can't make someone get off the bus after they've ridden on it for a couple stops just because a UMBC student gets on and needs a space.
One clarification though: I think that this theoretical priority should be extended to all members of the UMBC community, not just students. We all impact this community and if a professor or staff member can't make it to work/class then students' experiences are impacted by that.
Don't you have to pay to ride the 35 though? It would really be a shame for our paying students to have to pay again just to get home. But that is definitely a good last-ditch solution.
The only stop where I have seen this as a problem is the UMB @HSF stop. This is where all of the people are being left, so I think if the UMBC students there were allowed to get on first the majority of the problem would be solved (from UMBC's perspective anyway). My thought would be that having a red card would get you on first, so that would include the UMBC fac/staff members that take advantage of this line.
Excellent comments, minteh - I appreciate it.
How about we just get more buses running? Honestly, I think UMBC should put money more into things such as shuttle buses running from the school to downtown. It would make my life a lot more easier, seeing as I have to pay $1.60 to get downtown and take another bus from there to get home on some weekends. I know I am not the only one, it would make commuters like easier to. A lot do take public transportation and it would save them money.
And what about the Collegetown shuttles? They aren't really linked to other schools. Students I know from Towson and Loyola use it all the time between schools, and they have a shuttle which takes them downtown. I thought UMBC was technically part of the network but it really is not. University of MD college park has its own shuttle system, which is expected from such a large school. However, we should try to fix the shuttle system that we do have and maybe in the future, with more funding (if that is the issue), expand it a bit more so it will be convenient for student and staff and our money won't go to waste.
If only UMBC listened to what we had to say...
@Anonymous
I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, these things take money, which is something this university is rather lacking at the moment...
I would suggest a bus pass (you can get a discounted one through the school). Paying to use the 35 because the shuttle doesn't run often enough does suck, though, speaking as someone who does it quite often.
Just a tip - the Hopkins shuttle often doesn't 'card', if you can figure out where its stops are.
In the future, though, I do agree that we should invest more into out transit system. Not only is it an important part of supporting commuters, but it is a great way of helping the students at UMBC 'go green'.
=]
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