Students looking for a way to protest possible reductions to bus services on campus can find an outlet through Associated Students, Inc.
In a campaign to stop San Luis Obispo from possibly cutting SLO Transit night and weekend bus routes, ASI has posted a survey students can take about their use of various bus routes. Students can also write letters and send them to ASI who will read them at a future meeting of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments in April.
Secretary of student affairs Matt Teresi addresses the council today to inform them that ASI has begun handing out the survey and collecting testimonials from students who use the buses at night and on weekends.
“We’re just looking for students who want to get involved, basically,” Teresi said. “We want to open up avenues for them to get involved since this is going to affect them. We want to be able to have them speak out and let their opinion be heard.”
The survey asks when students use the buses, which buses they use and how they would be affected if the service was cut.
Teresi said student safety is a big concern and a major reason for ASI creating the survey and collecting student letters. Students who rely on the buses to get to night classes, studying or work would be left stranded, forced to walk or ride their bikes at night.
“I live off Highland Drive so I usually take the bus every day,” said liberal arts engineering studies junior Kyle Banfield. “In the evening it definitely slows down, though, around 4 p.m. I’d say.
“I understand they need money, but I wish they would be more vocal and let people know what’s going on. “I guess they’re justified (in cutting the service) for money reasons. It would just suck for me.”
Convenience and alternate transportation is another factor. Many students take the bus because they cannot afford to pay for on-campus parking or because they want to save gas and the environment.
“If we want students to leave their cars at home, then we need to provide a bus system,” said ASI president Angela Kramer.
The night bus service started two years ago through an effort by ASI to get extended bus route hours. Part of the money came from a city grant and the rest through the University Police Department and ticketing. Kramer said they knew the grant would be up for reevaluation after two years, but they weren’t expecting the city to have additional pressure from the bad economy.
“It’s obvious that the night service is utilized, but if we’re evaluating which times and services are used the most, it’s not the nights; it’s not the weekends,” Kramer said.
She said the goal right now is to collect as much student feedback as possible, which is how the extended night service started in the first place.
“We’re just trying to personalize (the issue),” Kramer said. “I’m really excited about this. I think the student perspective, especially in San Luis, is really respected.”
No bus route cuts are on the table right now, according to SLO Transit manager John Webster, but it is a possibility in the future when the new fiscal year starts July 1.
“For this immediate time, there are no cuts, (but) next year there could be a cut in services,” Webster said. “For the next fiscal year, everything is on the table.”
The Bus Service Reduction Survey will be on the ASI Web site for three weeks where students can access it under “Recent Blog Posts.” Those who want to write letters can send them to mteresi@calpoly.edu.