The obstacles of public transportation on and off campus

Long Beach is a beautiful city filled with gorgeous beaches, delicious multi-culture restaurants and antique shops. The city is home to 437,816 residents. For more than 40 years Long Beach has supplied 220 public buses to 280 million annual riders, while managing to keep a consistent schedule (they have not missed a day of service since their establishment in 1963) and offering a convenient mode of transportation. I have lived without a car in Long Beach for three years and frequently ride the bus but I have failed to discover the convenience of the bus system.

Before I used the public bus system, I first rode the free shuttles offered by Cal State Long Beach. Once during my freshman year I waited outside of the Residence Dorms at 7 p.m. trying to get to the library when I saw a shuttle pull up on the opposite side of the street. I sprinted across and caught the shuttle, but slowly realized something was wrong when the bus exited campus on Pale Verde Street. After five off-campus stops the bus driver turned and asked, "Honey, where are you trying to go?"

"I am going to the library," I responded sounding unsure.

"You got on the wrong bus. You ran and caught the wrong bus." He laughed and I turned red as I sunk down in my seat. The bus driver got the last laugh as he took his break when the shuttle stopped in front of Parkside. I would have been better off walking; it took 45 minutes to get to the library.

My transition to the Long Beach Transit system was equally unnerving. All I wanted to do was get from the dorms to 2nd Street. I had no idea how geographically challenged I was until that day. The bus manual indicates stops on the north, south, east, and west sides of streets. If you do not travel with a compass, how are you to figure out which side of the street you are on? I wanted the D Passport and watched it pass by twice within an hour before I called the bus transit help-hotline. All I had to do was cross the street to get to the north-east corner. I cannot believe it took me an hour to understand how to catch the bus.

I went out job-hunting three months ago and intended to ride the bus. I had my bus manual in hand. I walked half a mile to school thinking I would be more familiar with the bus stops because I walk past them every day. I successfully caught the bus down PCH, and successfully missed the bus home. The north and south directions got the better of me again and I could not catch a single bus, although many drove past. I ended up walking two miles home and rejected three ride offers from random cars. Again I would have been better off walking.

The latest obstacle I have faced is time when traveling on the buses. I caught a bus a couple of days ago on 10th street to get to my 8 a.m. class. After a 10-minute delay for a fender-bender, and running to class after getting off at the wrong stop, class was canceled. I wanted a bike!

I have no idea why the bus system continuously tests my abilities. Numerous bus drivers have told me exactly where and when to catch a transfer bus, and I somehow manage to get lost every time. Riding the bus is a simple convenience for 280 million people in Long Beach, why must I be the one who cannot comprehend the basics of riding the bus?

Ginny Galvin is a third year print journalism major at CSULB.