Appalachian State University is simply not parking friendly, and we all know it. It’s unfortunate because the majority of students live off campus. There’s not nearly enough parking spots on campus and without an expensive parking pass, you can only park after 5 p.m. or for half an hour during the day for free. Due to these unfortunate circumstances, many of us resort to AppalCart, the friendly neighborhood bus service. Sure, life is better with AppalCart than without it, but it certainly causes problems of its own.
The buses get filled to maximum capacity quickly, especially in the mornings and the evenings around 5 p.m. It is simply not enjoyable to be squeezed like sardines against a bunch of strangers if you’re not lucky enough to get a seat, which happens on rare occasion. Sure, we all enjoy cuddling, but with a stranger on the bus is just not the optimum situation. It’s called a personal bubble for a reason and we like to keep it void of others, especially when said others are not particularly pleasant smelling.
There’s also when the bus is simply so full the driver goes right on past you, leaving you late to class and frustrated. If we manage to drag ourselves out of bed and put on actual pants for class, we typically like to actually achieve our intended destination. Better late than never?
Friends that are on opposite ends of the bus who yell conversations to each other, passengers with out headphones who play their music out loud, and people who talk on the phone the entire duration of the ride are bound to get on the nerves of others. Is it really necessary for me to hear your entire synopsis of your Thursday night out as you talk to your mom on the phone? It can wait, I promise.
With the high amount of AppalCART users, it is inevitable that running into someone you do not want to see will happen, and of course it’s on the days when public presentability is pretty low. That obnoxious girl who lived on your floor last year, that creepy guy that never leaves you alone, and the guy you met last weekend, you’ll see them all.
Riding the AppalCART isn’t always fun, but it is a necessary evil and we might as well utilize what we pay for.
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