Cheap Transit

Transit at Westwood Blvd. and Santa Monica
Blvd. in 1941

The Santa Monica Daily Press carries a good PR story about transit passes for students at UCLA. Note that bus and train service in LA is heavily subsidized by various revenue sources, mainly voter-approved sales tax increments. Here are some excerpts:

When Melanie Lindo was considering her transfer to a UC campus, her choice didn’t come down to academics or campus resources but how long, complex and pricey her bus ride would be. “Compared to all the other UCs I was accepted to, UCLA was the cheapest in terms of transportation,” said Lindo.

Prior to attending UCLA, Lindo’s commute to Santa Monica College from Echo Park in Los Angeles put her at a disadvantage academically: She would cut evening study sessions short knowing she would have to wake up in the early morning to catch a bus — one she hoped was on time. “Sometimes the bus is delayed, so instead of waiting the 10 minutes, it’s a 20-minute wait, meaning I’m most likely going to miss a good portion of the lecture,” she said. Now, Lindo’s commute is both less stressful and cheaper. She’s able to take a bus directly from her home to UCLA’s Westwood campus. She also gets reduced fare thanks to partnerships between LA Metro and nearby campuses including UCLA.

Transit costs and lack of available bus or train service is one component of the high cost of college that is pushing many low-income students out of the state’s higher education systems. Some campuses have partnered with local transit agencies to reduce or waive all costs for students, with early data indicating these programs have a positive impact on student success.

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill last year that would have created more reduced fare pilot programs throughout the state, but students and advocates are still convinced expanding transit access is a relatively easy way to boost student retention and success.

For many students, commuting time and experience are part of the calculus of pursuing higher education. While the number of commuters at California colleges varies by campus, the national average is that about 85% of students do not live in university-owned housing on campus. Almost all of California’s 2 million community college students commute by car, bike, walking or public transit...

The state prioritized helping students with basic needs such as food and housing as part of the 2021-22 budget, including $30 million for the California Community College system to establish basic needs centers and hire staff to assist struggling students. Colleges can also use the money to create reduced fare partnerships with their local transit agency. Currently, 75 of the 116 community college campuses offer some type of reduced or free transit program for their students, according to researchers at the University of California Institute for Transportation Studies... 

Whether students have the option to commute by car or have to take public transit, costs can quickly add up. Students can expect to spend around a fifth of their yearly income on transportation, according to a 2018 report published by The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia. In California that number equates to a yearly average cost of $1,026 for transportation to and from campus for students who live in non-college off-campus housing, according to survey results from the California Student Aid Commission. The 2022-23 survey of student expenses included transportation costs for the first time...

Rising transit costs were a sticking point for the UC’s 48,000 striking academic workers. In deals struck with the three bargaining groups over the past month, all included some form of transit subsidies, such as offering e-bike discounts, and a commitment from UC that it will “attempt to negotiate reduced-fee or no-fee access to regional transit systems.”

Lindo pays a discounted fare through UCLA, around $40 a quarter, which gives her access to the bus she rides to campus, as well as rides with seven other local Los Angeles transit agencies, opening up the county to Lindo and allowing her family to afford other essentials. “Although my family has cars, they need them for work,” she said. “Having to purchase a car or live on campus is not something I can afford.” ...

Full story at https://smdp.com/2023/01/06/college-transit/.

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To hear the story above, click on the link below:

https://ia904700.us.archive.org/34/items/new-year-outlook/cheap%20transit.mp3