As students, we’ve had to be dependent on our parents to go anywhere, but once we enter college that all supposedly changes. The thought of going to college and having freedom is limited if you lack the necessary means of transportation.
College is the time to be free, go anywhere and everywhere. We’re away from our parents, so the possibilities are endless. However, as a freshman with no car, those possibilities are more than limited.
During these past months at UAB, 85% of my time has been spent on campus, and not by choice. I recall going on a campus tour and perceiving that UAB’s buses would take me all around the city of Birmingham, so as a student with no license I was fairly excited.
When I arrived on campus for school, I felt deceived. I don’t know Birmingham as much as I would’ve liked to. It was my understanding that Blazer Express would transport us all around the city in addition to campus.
In early September, I had to rely on someone I met 3 days prior to give me a ride to a hair salon that would’ve been a 20-minute walk. Usually, I don’t mind walking, yet being a young woman clueless about the area I was in, it didn’t sound like the smartest idea.
Having to be dependent on acquaintances to go places is very inconvenient for everyone. You can only go so far with the scooters and bikes placed around campus and they take a generous amount of money out of our pockets. The buses are barely helpful.
UAB’s Blazer Express has eight routes that all travel within campus and the hospitals surrounding it. None of these routes go off-campus or directly to student apartments nearby. The buses aren’t being used to their fullest extent.
The University of Alabama, in contrast to UAB, offers its students off-campus transportation as well as transportation to apartment complexes near campus. UA utilizes its buses to the fullest extent, while students get their money’s worth and gain familiarity with their new home.
UAB comparable peers, Virginia Commonwealth University and University of South Florida also provide their students with transportation outside of campus and to their homes. These schools have given their students access to the well rounded system that their paying for.
Regardless of the conveniences for the few, the inconveniences for the many persist. Multiple bus stops are located at parking decks, which only benefit students who drive, and they only take you so close to your desired location.
The problems don’t have to stay. The buses that transport people to Protective Stadium on Saturdays could give students rides to off-campus locations such as grocery stores, malls, and Railroad Park when the games are away. The weekends could become the designated days to run errands and discover Birmingham.
College is an experience of its own and having the ability to explore oneself and the world you’re surrounded by completes that transition to maturity. Transportation is a big part of that process.
