In the two weeks following the closure of the Hilgard Avenue bus
terminals on weekends and the shortening of weekday service hours,
some members of the UCLA community say they have been
inconvenienced by the Big Blue Bus service changes, while others
say they have not been affected.
Since Feb. 20, the Hilgard bus terminal has been closed for
weekends and holidays, and Big Blue Bus lines 1, 2, 3, 8 and 12
have been moved from the Hilgard terminal to the Ackerman Union
terminal. The Hilgard terminal is now also closed between 10 p.m.
and 7 a.m. on weekdays.
Homeowners living near the terminal on the east side of campus
expressed support for transferring services to Ackerman at an
October meeting with Big Blue Bus, complaining of noise and
pollution generated by buses. The changes have come as a surprise
to some and have caused negative reactions from some bus
riders.
“We have received a lot of complaints from a variety of
people,” said Dan Dawson, a spokesman for Big Blue Bus.
“Most people are upset because Ackerman is farther out of
the way (because) most people are headed north or (east).
We’ve been trying to explain to people that Big Blue Bus
didn’t make this decision by itself. … This isn’t a
decision we would’ve made” without a push from the
neighbors near the terminal, Dawson said.
UCLA Transportation Services, on the other hand, has received
few complaints on the topic.
“We have not received very many complaints regarding the
recent transit service changes. We have received no more than five
e-mails on the topic and a few phone calls,” said Renee
Fortier, director of Transportation Services.
The most common complaint to Transportation Services has been
that bus riders did not feel they were consulted before the service
change was made. Other complaints have included insufficient
passenger notification regarding the change and a farther walk to
catch the bus, Fortier said.
She also said Transportation Services has informed people of the
opportunities for public feedback on the service change and of the
efforts UCLA has made to notify the public about the issue.
“We want to reassure people that UCLA has no intention of
closing the Hilgard terminal during the day (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
Monday to Friday. We are committed to keeping the terminal open
during the week to meet the transportation needs of the UCLA
community,” Fortier said.
Though some people say they find the change in terminals to be
an inconvenience, others say they either prefer that the Big Blue
Bus service begin and end at Ackerman rather than Hilgard or are
not really affected by the changes.
For Sheetal Shukla, a first-year undeclared student, the move
from Hilgard terminal to Ackerman terminal is convenient because it
is a shorter walk from the dorms, she said.
Greg Brown, a fourth-year business economics student,
agreed.
“I don’t feel negatively affected,” he said.
The only negative effect is the new walk uphill whenever he takes
the bus, he said.