News

U-Pass program likely to continue with off-campus shuttles as a sacrifice

What began as a stopgap measure to ease last year’s parking crunch may soon be here to stay. 

University officials and representatives from Long Beach Transit are negotiating a new contract to renew the U-PASS program, which enables students, staff and faculty members to ride Long Beach Transit buses for free. Although no agreement has been officially reached, both parties are hopeful to continue the program after the current contract expires at the end of May.

“It’s a good thing; we have to figure out a way to keep doing it,” said Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander. 

Rideshare Coordinator Elissa Thomas said she expected to renew the partnership.

“There is nothing easier than waking up with your Cal State Long Beach ID, walking out your front door, and within two city blocks there’s a bus that’ll get you here,” Thomas said.

It may be free for students, staff and faculty to ride the bus, but the program is not without its costs.

In order to help pay for the program, the off-campus shuttle service will be discontinued after this semester, according to Mark Rudometkin, interim general manager of Parking and Transportation Services.

The off-campus shuttle route largely follows the path of LB Transit’s Route 171, which travels to and from CSULB via Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Road. Rudometkin said that maintaining two services with similar routes could not be justified under the current budget.

“We want to focus more on campus. We’re just taking those shuttles that used to be off and putting them on, so that should hopefully alleviate some of our wait times, some of our overcrowding issues,” Rudometkin said.

A new shuttle service will be available for students living at the Residential Learning College, formerly the site of Brooks College.

Marcelle Epley, manager of marketing for LB Transit, said the U-PASS does not turn a profit. Epley said the program was a public service that was intended to be revenue neutral. In other words, the school’s bill represents only the costs that LB Transit incurs. 

The program for next year is expected to cost around $1,200 per weekday during the fall and spring semesters and $250 for summer weekdays, according to Thomas.

The off-campus shuttle service, which is provided under contract by Diversified Transportation, has been a source of controversy. Sharing stops has lead to conflict between the two services, with school-sponsored shuttles fighting city buses for limited space at busy stops.

Some residents have complained about the shuttles, claiming that students park on neighborhood streets and then ride the shuttle to avoid paying for a parking permit.

“We’ve had issues with the neighbors,” Rudometkin said. He added that residents blame students for leaving trash and for “standing in their yards, tearing up their grass.”

The U-PASS program was established in August amid high gas prices and limited on-campus parking. It began as a one-month program but was quickly expanded to a year after huge initial response. LB Transit had expected about 1,700 students boardings per day, but by the second week of the program, fare boxes were recording 3,700 students boarding daily.

This semester, cheaper gas, lower enrollment and several thousand new parking spaces haven’t been enough to drive students back into their cars.

“Although the gas prices took a dip, the individuals that decided to get out of their cars and take public transit are continuing to take public transit,” Epley said.

The program has proven to be a big hit with students and faculty. There were 5,508 U-PASS riders in March 2009, more than any month since October’s 5,611 riders. During the first week of the spring semester, CSULB IDs were swiped through fare boxes a record-breaking 23,843 times. Embarkments are tracked by ID and not by stop, since students, staff and faculty can use any bus route regardless of whether it travels to campus or not.

Some routes, especially the 90s routes that travel down Seventh Street, have proven so popular that they are sometimes filled to capacity. Line 90, which includes routes 91, 92, 93, 94 and 96, is the most popular among CSULB riders, where 45,742 went on board in March. To combat overcrowding issues, LB Transit increased morning and afternoon frequency of some routes, including the 90s lines, on Feb. 15.

With the addition of 25 new gasoline-electric hybrid buses April 27, environmentally conscious students have another reason to ride the bus. Long Beach Transit claims the new additions, which were paid for largely with federal stimulus money, will mean half their fleet is hybrid.

For some riders, U-PASS is more than just a way to get to school. A Facebook group called “U-Pass at CSULB” has over 780 members, many of whom left comments praising the program.

“I want to thank everyone who [has] worked to make it possible for me to get around the city for free all year long now. Even though I have a car, since parking in my neighborhood and on campus is a mess, it’s nice to be able to leave it parked on the street most of the time and catch the bus for free,” one student posted.

Alexander called the program a wonderful success and said he’s never received so much positive feedback from a message he’s sent out. 

“It’s really been a win-win,” Alexander said.

In addition to saving money on gas and parking costs, the U-PASS program can potentially put a few more dollars in the pockets of cash-strapped students. The Rideshare program maintains a website where students can record commutes that include walking, biking, carpooling or use of public transit. Monthly drawings for up to $50 worth of Beach Bucks are held, with winners selected from students who record their commutes.

Long Beach Transit is not the only public transportation option for getting to campus. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 577X express runs from El Monte to the Long Beach Transit Mall, with a stop near CSULB. The Orange County Transportation Authority has several routes that stop on Seventh Street, including Route 1 from San Clemente, Route 50 from Orange, and Route 60 from Tustin. Neither OCTA nor the Metro are free for CSULB students, but discounted rates are available with a student ID.

4 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Abbey Laste

    Wonderful! So simple. Unfortunately, I found this article too late – I already found the answer on another service. You’ll forget about paperwork when you try PDFfiller. VA 10-0426 can be filled out in 5-10 mins here http://goo.gl/BNWp2F

  2. Avatar

    A lot of people living in Beverly Plaza will be upset.

  3. Avatar
    bharat bandi

    Surely the U-Pass came out with flying colors for everyone CSULB member on board. But, is there any way by which the route 171 buses can be extended on weekends too.. who is the person in concern to be contacted for this issue..

    Thanks

  4. Avatar
    JR Salazar

    All hail…the U-PASS.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

Daily 49er newsletter

Instagram