Hopefully this article will make your morning commute a bit more tolerable
Everyone has their own routine to help them wake up in the morning. Some people choose coffee or tea, others a cold shower. But a very underrated, exhilarating start to the day is waking up late and realizing you’re about to miss your bus. First, there’s the feeling of dread as you realize the bus comes in 10 minutes and it’s a 12-minute walk, then the slight walk/jog you do to try and make it, only to see it leave your stop when you’re stuck at an intersection 100 metres away.
Students are familiar with the woes of bus travel with BC Transit, as many of us take buses to get where we need to go around Victoria. But it seems as though there is some humour in our situation.
Some bus schedules are weird, coming in 30-minute intervals, leaving you hanging if you miss one.
There are routes where more buses are constantly needed because they fill up so much. Most students have had buses drive past them because it’s full. This is definitely one of the worst ways to miss class, especially on a snowy, freezing (checks calendar) Feb. 28. The worst is the 70 bus, which takes Highway 17 to Swartz Bay from downtown. If it’s a long weekend, reading break, or the end of term, you’ll definitely be taking the 72 instead.
Some major student routes don’t even have buses. I feel like we’re at the point where we can justify a bus that goes from campus to Sidney and then the ferry terminal. There are enough people on this route that this would be a worthwhile regular Friday service. (On the same note, isn’t it ironic that BC Ferries and BC Transit get mentioned together in our grievances, and yet not much ever changes?)
Now that we have the major issues out of the way, we can talk about the everyday frustrations the typical BC Transit user faces. We already mentioned full buses, but how about late buses? They suck, especially when you’re hoping to avoid the walk of shame that comes with being late to class.
The only thing worse than a late bus is an early bus. It’s the most disheartening thing to see a bus roll by as you’re waiting to cross the street to get to your stop, especially when the Transit app lies to you and says it’s still five minutes away.
Seating is also an interesting matter. With the amount of double decker buses that are in service it’s not as much of an issue on some routes, but there is still bus etiquette that should be followed. Like don’t sit next to me if there are empty seats and don’t hog the row by putting your backpack on the seat next to you if there are people standing. The biggest peeve that I and many other transit frequenters have is the inability for people to follow the unwritten rules of packed buses: A) take a seat if a seat is available, and B) MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE BUS SO OTHERS CAN GET ON (Disclaimer: BC Transit riders may have some pent up aggression)!
I guess there are alternatives, but really it’s a pick your poison ordeal because parking is also a nightmare, especially for our wallets. I’d rather not pay three months rent just to circle the CARSA parking lot before eventually ending up in Parking Lot 10. Lastly, if I hear one more person tell me that biking is the way to go, a Regina George moment may occur.