s stop located at Bakersfield College has made way for students to get to and from school for several months now.
Although it has been up and running for nearly a year and students are getting used to it, there are few still dealing with issues with parking because of the project.
“This new Transit Center is a first step in implementing the improved transit system” Karen King, GET CEO, explained.
She says that she hopes it will solve the problem of crowdedness, allowing buses to have personal parking and make way for better access for passengers. The center gives eight spaces for buses, and restroom facilities are available.
The bus station is now located on Panorama Drive instead of the east parking lot where it was for several years.
However, students who used Panorama to park are now forced to find parking elsewhere, which creates a problem for students who drive to school.
Mary Morelos, full time BC student, says that since the renovation of the bus stop, parking has been a problem so far this semester.
“It’s been difficult to find,” she said. “I have to park farther than usual, which means I have to leave from my house even earlier. It’s not a deal breaker but it is more of an inconvenience.”
With the new transit center also came new bus routes, and for some students this came as a surprise.
“I’ve been using the bus to get to and from school for the past year now,” said Blake Johnson, a second year at BC. “Because of the change, I had to make arrangements for a ride home on Tuesdays and Thursdays since the route I used to take isn’t available at the times I need.”
Although some students found this as a drawback, others saw this as a type of treat or reward. John Sanchez says he is pleased with the new center.
“Since I’ve started coming to BC, I’ve noticed bus is a popular way of transportation,” said Sanchez. “It’s still just as useful. It just has a new look which is pretty awesome.”
James Martin, who attends BC and uses the bus as transportation, was pleased with the project.
“I think this is a good thing, not only for students, but for the people of Bakersfield in general,” Martin said. “I’ve met people who use the bus stop as to get to and from where they need to go and not because they attend school here. Hopefully they find it useful as well.”