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      As a student commuter I depend a lot on public transportation. I take BART (Bay Area Transit) almost everyday if not everyday to get to Berkeley. As many know already BART has been going through some tough moments that have affect lots of commuters as well as ordinary people.  Last Friday, BART announced that they were going to go on strike, meaning that there were not going to have operating services. I wasn’t as concerned due to the fact that I didn’t have class on Fridays, but once I heard that the strike was going to extend into Monday, I was worried.
           This wasn’t the first time BART went on strike but it was the first time for me as a commuter. I was forced to miss classes on Monday due to the fact that I couldn’t find a ride to Berkeley. From where I live it’s about a 40min ride to Cal, which made it difficult to find other alternatives. As Monday was coming to an end many where wondering if the strike was going to lead into Tuesday. As midnight was approaching a BART spokesperson announced the ending of the strike and the renewal of the service on Tuesday morning. I was so relieved and happy to be able to return to school.
           As Tuesday morning approached, I did my usual routine and arrived at the nearest BART station to catch my train to Berkeley. But little did I know that I was going to face another challenge. BART was at it again, announcing 45-min delays and only a few trains working. When I finally was able to get on BART I was already 20mins late for my first class and eventually missed it. The next morning I woke up to hear yet another bad notice from BART, they were going to be closed due to a fatal accident investigation. Yet again I was forced to miss my classes risking my grades to drop. Finally, when Thursday came BART service was back on track but with minor delays throughout the day. As I got home from school, I was informed that there was a problem with BART. I turned on the news and guess what I saw, a BART train on fire, cancelling all services for the rest of the day. Thank god I was already done with classes and didn’t have to go through that problem. Overall, what I am trying to convey is that BART should change their name to BRAT due to all the frustration it has made its commuters go through. They have promised not to go on strike for now but we can’t be 100% sure.
      I am just one of many commuters that had to suffer this frustrating week, but if you want to check out other reactions of the BART controversy just checkout the twitter hastag #BARTStrike.Â
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