Bus riders express concerns with inconsistent procedures

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Kim Harms

Staff reporter

kharms3@jccc.edu

College students are offered several transit options to help them arrive to their classes in a safe and timely manner. However, with every bus system comes a few flaws. Some buses arrive late, some arrive early and some may arrive to the wrong location. Several students expressed their concerns after riding the Johnson County bus system and offered that stops at the college suggestions to help improve it.

Student Ellie Rieber rides the bus from 95th and Antioch. She described the issue she faced riding the bus for the first time.

“It was a little confusing at first because there was a bus stop on the same side of the street as the post office,” said Rieber. “There was a girl waiting there so I assumed that I was supposed to wait there too. I asked her if she was coming to [the college] and she said no you’re supposed to wait on the other side of the street at the completely identical bus stop. So, I think maybe putting a stop listing at the bus stops would be pretty convenient and helpful to people.”

Student Avery Rouser explained his situation when he rode the bus for the first time and how the times listed on the website were incorrect.

“The first day I decided to take the bus, I looked on the website and it said that my bus … would leave at 7:30, so I got there at 7:25. I waited until 7:30 and the bus had not arrived yet so I called and [the bus service] told me that the buses actually leave at 7:20 and 7:50. I had to wait there for another 20 minutes. Other than that, the bus service is pretty nice. A lot of the time, the bus is actually pretty early. I would have them update their bus schedule times and make sure that [the buses] don’t leave before that time is up,” said Rouser.

Student Karyn Brown has had an overall positive experience riding the buses. Brown described her experience adjusting to riding the bus on a regular basis and suggested a way to make the process easier.

“I haven’t really had any issues with the bus times. There’s a routine involved with riding the bus regularly. It can be hard keeping up with scheduling and making sure that you’re [at your bus stop] on time. Especially if you have a job like I do and making sure that you get home in time to go to work. I’d like for there to be more times available in the middle of the day other than just 12:18 midday. It can be inconvenient having to sit and wait an hour for the midday bus so I can get home in the afternoon,” said Brown.

In addition to bus times and stop locations, some students had issues with figuring out which buses were assigned to a certain location and then memorizing those schedules. Student Briana Hollowell expressed the struggles she has faced while riding the buses.

“If I get out of a class early then I have to really ration my time to either stay in the building and study or come outside and wait because the bus comes around I would say 3:00 maybe. There is not an extra bus that goes to the KU Edwards bus stop that will take you there earlier …. The other issues are just how complicated the bus schedules are, especially if you have the KU Edwards bus stop in the morning,” said Hollowell.

Returning bus riders are having issues as well. Student Serigne Seck compared how his experience riding the buses this year has changed from last year.

“It used to be very good. The bus used to come on time for the previous three semesters I’ve [taken the buses],” said Seck. “Since the beginning of this semester, they have never been on time. It’s usually late. The first day of class it was 36 minutes late so I missed my first class of the semester. I usually take [the bus] from 19th and Haskell, and it was supposed to leave at 9:50. I was on my way to the bus stop and the bus left at 9:47, so I missed the bus. I gave them a call and the dispatcher talked to the bus driver and the driver said he left on time … I’m sure [the bus service] is trying to fix that. It’s not something they’re doing on purpose. I just hope it gets better.”

Any students who have noticed incorrect times listed on their bus stop’s website or think their bus has left at the wrong time can report the issue to the Johnson County Transit. Their phone numbers can be found on their website: www.jocogov.org/dept/transit/home

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