There are many benefits for students when they choose to use public transportation.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of public transportation is reducing the effect left on the environment from burning fossil fuels.
Whether it is by bus, metro link or a high speed rail, all are great ways of traveling through urban and suburban cities, as well as to campus.
Public transportation contributes much less waste to the environment than cars do. Private vehicles burn more fossil fuels at a higher rate per person than public transportation would.
Metro also offers clean air vehicles as part of their system in Los Angeles County. There are more than 2,500 metro buses, minibuses and even certain subway trains that are clean air vehicles.
Moving so many people on one large vehicle can greatly reduce air pollution in the city.
The Federal Transit Administration stated in 2009 that around one-fourth of public transportation vehicles had converted to using alternative fuels aside from gas or diesel. This number is only growing, and has grown significantly with the total amount of vehicles increasing as well.
Public transportation allows the user to spend their time on the trip doing anything they’d like. A user can read a book, catch up on homework, keep up with the news or even gossip with a friend while they’re waiting for their stop to arrive.
This is something private transportation does not allow for.
It is a driver’s responsibility to dedicate their full attention to the road. Safe driving does not mix well with reading a book or texting a friend.
Public transportation on the other hand, allows for the user to be productive even during horrible traffic.
It’s typical that a journey which would normally take 20 minutes, easily becoming a 35 minute trip in the city.
Public transportation allows a user to better manage their time during this period, rather than the driver who simply gets stuck wasting their time in traffic.
Public transportation is also much cheaper than driving a car.
With a car, one must pay for gas, car insurance, oil changes and smog checks if the vehicle is older and breaks down a lot.
According to an article by CNN, the average cost of gas in California is $4.18 a gallon.
Depending on how far one needs to travel, as well as how many miles per gallon their car gets, gas can quite hastily become a big expenditure for a private transportation user.
Metro Line, a common method of transportation for Pierce College students, only charges $1.75 for a one way ticket no matter the location within Los Angeles County.
Metro also offers the U-Pass to students taking 8 or more units. The U-Pass is a cost efficient pass that grants them access to the Metro for an entire semester.
For students on a budget this would definitely be more cost effective than a personal vehicle.
Whether it is cost, environmental consciousness or productivity, public transportation succeeds in these aspects all around.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/08/business/california-gas-prices/index.html
https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/
