To get anywhere on campus at the University of Georgia, you can either walk in the humid Georgia heat and hope your clothes don’t get soaked with sweat, or you can take the air-conditioned buses that drop you off directly in front of your destination. Taking the buses definitely sounds like the better option. What’s not to like about the bus? You can sit down and relax for a few minutes without having to worry about running from class to class. That sounds nice, but it also sounds like something that only happens in a daydream. Of course, the bus system is nice to have, but it’s often unreliable and anything but relaxing. Here are 10 bus struggles every UGA student can relate to.
1. Trying to get on the Orbit bus anytime from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Orbit bus seems to be the most popular bus around during the day. Considering the convenient path it takes around campus, it’s no wonder that everyone wants to get on it. The Orbit bus is supposed to come around every few minutes, so logically, the bus should never be too crowded since it comes all the time, but that’s not the case. From the time the Orbit makes it’s debut in the morning, until it goes out of service at night, it’s hard to squeeze on.
2. The inaccuracy of the UGA bus app
The UGA bus app should be a nice way to check when a bus will be arriving at a certain stop, but the app constantly glitches. One time, I checked the app to see how far away a bus was from my stop, and it said it was 400 minutes away. Huh. That’s funny, because I know for a fact that the bus I was looking at is supposed to come every eight minutes. Also, when time is of the essence, and I need to figure out if the stop I’m at has the bus I need, it decides not to load. Thanks, UGA bus app.
3. Attempting to get on any bus at Tate
I truly believe UGA students turn into vultures at the Tate bus stop. It’s every man and woman for themselves. It’s crazy how many students pack onto this tiny platform in hopes of getting on a bus. If you’re really sly, you know to got to the Psychology-Journalism stop to avoid the masses. For the love of everything good in the world, if the day ever comes where I head to Tate to catch a bus, knock some sense into me, immediately.
4. The waiting game
Cue the Jeopardy music. Like I said before, UGA has an app that should inform you when a bus is coming. However, it seems like some buses never want to show up. For instance, a North South bus will come by 4 times in a 20 minute time period, while the University Village bus doesn’t come once in that time frame. What’s up with that? Don’t even get me started on the Health Sciences bus. That bus shows up once every 30 minutes, if you’re lucky. As someone who lives on the Health Sciences campus, this bus haunts my nightmares.
5. Figuring out how to go anywhere when the buses aren’t running
Occasionally, the campus will be closed for a holiday and the buses will be shut down. If you live in University Village, Health Sciences, or even East Campus Village, it can be difficult to get around without buses. You have to rely on what’s around you, or by taking the public buses, which only come once an hour. Walking is an option, but walking a few miles in the heat doesn’t sound like a tempting offer.
6. Living on the Health Sciences Campus and being immobile
I know I’ve already mentioned the downfalls of the Health Sciences campus, but I’m not exaggerating. Living almost three miles away from main campus makes it difficult to get anywhere without relying on the one bus that comes only two or three times an hour. If you have a class that you need to be at in 30 minutes, and you just missed the bus that came, you probably won’t make it to your class. For the kids that go to The Niche Dining Hall, I applaud you. If I didn’t live in Health Sciences, I wouldn’t ever venture there.
7. Getting on the wrong bus when you swore it went a different route
There are a dozen of different bus routes that go around campus, and it can be hard to keep track of where they all go. It’s easy to get on the wrong bus and realize you’re heading in the opposite direction you want to go. As long as you know some shortcuts on campus, you should be able to finesse your way out of any bad bus situation.
8. Dealing with the people who talk to the bus driver when they don’t know where they’re going
We were all clueless students at one point who didn’t know where certain buses went, but the people who question the bus drivers for minutes can result in major time delays. If you need to be at class in 10 minutes, but the bus isn’t moving because the driver is answering questions, this can set you back and cause you to be late for class.
9. Seeing that the bus you want is out of service
It’s around 7 p.m., and you’re waiting for the bus to rescue you from the hard bench. At long last, you see the glorious lights of the bus coming your way. You feel relieved until you see that the bus is out of service. Now, you have to wait for another bus to come rescue you. The changing of the routes and buses is not a fun time of day.
10. Knowing you can’t live without them
Without the UGA buses to take me to class everyday, I would probably resort to hitchhiking. I would never make the trek to campus everyday by walking. I’m not trying to get my step count up on my Fitbit or anything, so a ride to class in some sort of vehicle sounds ideal to me. Even though the UGA bus system is annoying and inconsistent, I don’t want to live without it.