Passengers of BruinBus have experienced frequent issues with the year-round shuttle service, including scheduling issues and roughness boarding buses.
Students said the shuttle has been inconsistent in getting them to class on time and that there are not enough buses for the number of students who use the service, particularly at the U1 line’s Weyburn Terrace stop, where UCLA’s newest university apartments house thousands of students.
“There’s not a lot of buses, and everybody’s pushing toward the front,” said Delilah Sandoval, a second-year sociology student.
Students aren’t able to get on the bus because of these circumstances, Sandoval said. She added she has seen people having to walk to campus instead after the BruinBus doors close.
UCLA established BruinBus over 30 years ago, and its five lines now serve the main campus, Westwood Village and Wilshire Center. The complimentary service has changed over the years to include zero-emission electric buses, higher passenger capacity, faster wheelchair handling and improved safety measures, according to UCLA Transportation’s website.
UCLA spokesperson Katherine Alvarado said UCLA Transportation works hard to provide services that support the community. She added they have worked to maintain a bus schedule that benefits UCLA community members and meets customer demand.
However, she acknowledges that routes and frequency of buses may be impacted by staffing levels and bus serviceability.
Buses this quarter have been more crowded at the U1’s Weyburn Terrace stop compared to the fall, said Sofia Nawaz, a third-year history student. She added that the buses’ schedules, which run every 30 minutes, lead to inconveniences for her and her fellow students.
“They don’t really work around the school schedule,” Nawaz said. “They only come when classes are going. There’s just way too many kids on the buses.”
Alvarado said the majority of complaints filed by passengers to UCLA Transportation have revolved around bus frequency and timing.
At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, UCLA guaranteed four years of housing in university-owned residences for incoming freshmen and two years for incoming transfer students.
In order to meet the increased capacity needed for guaranteed housing, UCLA opened new residential buildings last year in the Weyburn Terrace area: Tipuana, Palo Verde and Laurel Apartments. They accommodate around 2,300 students.
Some students who live in these apartments and board BruinBus at the Weyburn Terrace stop said BruinBus left them behind, and they were therefore late to class because they had to walk to campus.
“I’ve missed the bus a few times and been late to class,” third-year history student Erin Hughes said. “I had to walk a few times and then sometimes I’d wait for the next bus.”
Other students have resorted to forceful measures to get a spot on the bus, said Yaseen Elhalafawy, a third-year political science student. He said he has seen other passengers push and shove each other in order to get on the bus.
“Somehow you get on if you cram enough,” Elhalafawy said.
Elhalafawy added that he has walked to campus on occasion because the bus filled rapidly and he was left without a spot. While he said it is not a problem for him, he added that he understands it can be inconvenient and tiresome for other students, especially if they have to trek through Westwood Village.
Hughes said while she understands UCLA’s driver shortage is causing issues, she has seen other passengers who have not been as understanding.
“People have taken it out on the bus drivers before,” Hughes said. “People have yelled and cursed at the drivers.”
UCLA Transportation said they are unaware of any incidents between students and BruinBus operators, nor any reported instances of violence, Alvarado said.
Elhalafawy said that there has been enough outcry among students to warrant changes to the timing of the buses. He added that he has seen new drivers being trained but he has yet to see any changes to BruinBus since.
He added that increasing the frequency and number of buses so that one bus comes every 20 minutes would greatly alleviate the issue.
Alvarado said BruinBus riders can contact a UCLA Transportation customer service representative on their website if they experience any issues with the shuttles.
Comments are closed.