As an apathetic sophomore, and even more so as an oblivious
freshman, I found myself lugging books, papers and projects around
campus and never exploring alternative transportation modes. This
year, I discovered the UCLA Campus Shuttle service to both my
delight and disappointment. While the shuttle provides service for
some members of the UCLA campus community, it fails to provide
effective service for those who need it most.
UCLA students rely on a variety of modes of transportation to
travel to and from campus. The issue of campus transit often
focuses on BruinGo! ““ rarely do other modes of transit
available to the UCLA community get mentioned. UCLA, however,
possesses a number of other transit options for students, staff and
faculty.
The most notable campus transit mode is the Campus Shuttle
system. The Campus Shuttle service provides transportation to
locations on and around campus. The shuttle operates via two
routes, Ackerman Express and Campus Express, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. The Wilshire Center stop, however, only
operates from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Students, faculty, staff and
visitors may step onto the shuttle at any one of the nine stops
along the system without any out-of-pocket payment.
During both my first and second years as a student at UCLA, I
would often eye those mysterious white buses with labels like
“Campus Shuttle Northbound,” wondering where they went
and how they worked. Finally, I convinced myself to hop on one of
the buses and go for a ride. To my surprise, it turned out to be
quite convenient for me: The shuttle picks me up near my apartment
and transports me to places on campus I need to go. Perhaps most
importantly, the service gave me extra time in the morning to
sleep.
At the same time, however, I wondered just how many people had
access to and were actually benefitting from the service. When a
recent class project required me to create my own original survey
about any element of transportation or transit services, I jumped
at the opportunity to examine the Campus Shuttle service. For the
most part, the general results I found through research, interviews
and statistical analysis are surprising and of note to the public
at large.
According to Professor Donald Shoup of the UCLA School of Urban
Planning and Regional Design, the Campus Shuttle system was
originally intended to provide easy access to campus for car
commuters who park in distant parking structures. Over the past
several years of operation, however, the UCLA administration has
grown to view the system as a necessary form of campus public
transit.
A majority of riders I surveyed also viewed the shuttle as
necessary, but had multiple complaints about the service. Although
the system possesses some positive features, the service is an
overall disappointment. While the drivers faithfully provide
friendly service, more often than not, the shuttle does not stick
to its every 10-12 minute schedule. Some riders reported waiting up
to 30 minutes for a bus to pick them up.
Additionally, the shuttle only provides access to a few remote
locations on campus. The shuttle does not stop at important stops
in Westwood, such as Ralphs grocery store or the course reader
shops, nor does it service the Northwest Village or the dorms.
Thus, while the system provides an alternative transportation
option that can be helpful to some people, including myself, while
useless for most others.
Riders surveyed request additional system output, such as
increased operating hours and shuttle routes and stops. If the
service is to be continued, these requests should be met in some
way, as having a flexible and effective transportation system is
important to such a large campus.
Economics, however, prevents UCLA Fleet and Transit Services
from meeting these requests. According to Professor Brian Taylor of
the UCLA School of Urban Planning and Regional Design,
administrators fear capacity saturation of the system if
implemented further into the campus area.
One of the main arguments for continuing the operation of the
service revolves around UCLA’s ownership of the fleet of
buses, and the jobs that the service provides. Yet, the cost to
UCLA outweighs any benefit ““ $2.05 for every ride taken on
the shuttle. The limited service offered, especially in this time
of budget cuts on other important academic services, does not seem
to justify this price.
Professor Shoup has advocated further implementation of the
BruinGo! service as an alternative replacement to the campus
shuttle. This plan would cost just $0.60 per ride ““ three
times less than the shuttle service ““ and could provide
increased flexibility.
UCLA should evaluate the effectiveness of the Campus Shuttle and
look out for the interest of students, without wasting precious
monetary resources.
Paganini is a third-year geography and political science
student. E-mail her at cpaganini@media.ucla.edu. Send general
comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.