By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
For students new to Los Angeles, exploring the city will be a
weekend goal, but this also poses a challenge for those who do not
own a car.
With only 22,000 parking spaces to accommodate the more than
65,000 faculty, staff, students, patients and daily visitors at
UCLA, parking is at a premium, and the university has been pursuing
public transportation as an alternative.
Third-year computer science student Ali Tehrani made his way
around Los Angeles via public transportation after his car
accident.
“I would take the Big Blue Bus,” he said.
“It’s really convenient because it’s
free.”
Members of the UCLA community can ride the Santa Monica Big Blue
Bus system for free because of the BruinGo! program, which allows
them to ride by swiping their Bruin Cards.
The Big Blue Bus system extends from UCLA west to the Santa
Monica Pier, east to Beverly Hills, and as far south as the Los
Angeles International Airport.
“BruinGo! is among the least expensive transit programs
because Santa Monica lines are so economical,” Donald Shoup,
director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, said to the
Daily Bruin in an article dated April 2.
Because not all lines pass UCLA, students can transfer between
buses throughout the system by asking the driver for a transfer
coupon, which is also free. A student wishing to take the Big Blue
Bus to areas east of campus, for example, would have to change
buses since only Lines 1, 2, 3, 8 and 12 head to UCLA, while Lines
5, 7 and 13 run east to Beverly Hills.
Transportation Services implemented the BruinGo! program during
the 2000-01 school year. After recording more than 700,000 swipes,
officials decided to extend the service for another year, though
they suspended the program for the summer.
UCLA transportation officials say they plan to market the
BruinGo! program more vigorously this summer than last, and they
hope for a greater ridership next year.
For those who wish to venture beyond the route limitations of
the Big Blue Bus, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, also known as MTA or the Metro, is an
economical option.
The MTA, covering 1,400 square miles in L.A. County, provides
college students a $30 discounted monthly pass. The pass includes
unlimited use of the more than 200 bus lines MTA operates,
containing routes that extend east to the San Bernardino County
Line, south to Long Beach Harbor and north to Lancaster and
Palmdale.
In addition, pass holders have unlimited access to the metro
rail system, which currently contains two lines and, according to
MTA spokesman Gary Wosk, plans to expand to 22 in the near
future.
Riders can use the trip planner on the MTA Web site to find
proper transfers and connections during a trip.
Though riding on city buses and subways can be an intimidating
experience, Wosk said law enforcement is present at every
station.
“You’ll have a safe trip on our buses,” Wosk
said. “There are surveillance cameras on every bus and
station, and the stations are in an open-air environment where
committing a crime can be difficult.”
While the BruinGo! program and MTA are the two most accessible
public transportation systems around campus, other options include
the Culver City bus line and Commuter Express, which covers Santa
Clarita and the San Fernando Valley.
For students who choose to drive to UCLA, Parking Services
issues parking permits on a need-based point system that considers
class standing, employment, academic obligations and commuter
distance.
But even with plans to build a parking structure that would
provide an additional 1,500 spaces underneath the intramural field,
many first-year students won’t be issued a permit.
But UCLA has recognized the need for public transportation, and
students without cars wishing to venture outside Westwood Village
can take advantage of inexpensive bus systems to experience Los
Angeles.
BRUINGO! TRANSIT PASS PILOT PROGRAM When the
BruinGo! program resumes in the fall, UCLA students and faculty
will be able to ride the Big Blue Bus for free by swiping their
BruinCard. Click on the map to see a larger image
SOURCE: www.transportation.ucla.edu/bruingo/smbusmap.gif
Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by
CHRISTINE TAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
