It’s burning hot, packed tight as can be, and there’s an odor of stale sweat.
No, I’m not describing a three-week-old can of sardines left on the kitchen counter or the dance floor at Kilroy’s Sports Bar.
I’m describing the A bus at any given time of the day.
There are three to four A buse s running at nearly all times of the day, according to the bus schedule provided by IU.
The buses depart roughly every seven to 13 minutes , which in theory sounds like it should work. But it doesn’t.
This column isn’t meant to insult the IU campus bus system. I could write a short story on that issue.
This column is meant to talk about how people living on campus ruin the campus bus system.
Countless times I have attempted to catch the bus back from class to my vehicle at the stadium, and I haven’t been able to get on the bus because it was full of students.
The few times I manage to squeeze onto the bus, hordes of students hop off at Briscoe or McNutt.
The only time a student should ever ride the bus is if they are traveling from Willkie to the stadium.
That is the only time it is ever actually necessary.
If you’re under the impression that riding the bus from Briscoe to Ballantine is faster than walking there, you’re ?misinformed.
Personally, it’s roughly a 12-minute walk from Briscoe to Ballantine or a 15- to 16-minute walk to Third Street.
It can take about 20 minutes to ride the bus from the Briscoe stop to the Jordan stop on Third Street, due to traffic.
Too many times this year I’ve seen a student jump on the bus at McNutt and ride it to Kelley. This is not a joke. Students actually do this.
Instead of walking maybe a thousand feet, they feel the need to jump on the bus as if it were some big family reunion.
In addition, many students who ride the bus don’t even do it correctly.
I’ve seen students, who I can only assume to be freshmen, repeatedly show their student IDs to the bus driver as if he or she actually cares.
Then they crowd the middle of the aisle. When a new stop is reached, they continue to stand in the same position instead of moving to the back to accommodate new ?passengers.
Instead of moving to the back, people shuffle and stand in front of the doors.
Which would be fine if they would actually get out of the way when other students were trying to exit.
Instead, they stand in the way as if they were Gandalf refusing to let anyone pass.
The best thing for everyone involved is to simply walk to class if you live on campus. If you must take the bus, be ?considerate.
But if more people walked, the buses would be less crowded, and you would get to enjoy the scenic views of Bloomington. Talk about a win-win situation.
luburch@indiana.edu
