Cerritos College students may be able to ride the local buses to and from school free of charge.
Dean of Student Services Gilbert Contreras discussed a program in the ASCC Cabinet meeting held Jan. 12. He explained the program would allow eligible students to have access to buses free of charge.
“We want to provide students with access to transportation to come to school… We’ll be working with the campus to define who gets that access, ” said Contreras.
“In the end, I think the bottom line is that students will benefit from having more access to help students come to and from Cerritos College,” he said.
The program would work with the TAP card that local buses use.
A TAP card is a reloadable card that can be used to pay fares on buses and trains.
The partnership with ASCC will work with the Metro, Norwalk Transit, Cerritos on Wheels and Long Beach Transit bus lines.
The meetings discussing the details for the program will begin next week.
The ASCC in association with student athletes and coaches were out at bus stops the morning of Jan. 12, tallying what bus routes students were taking to and from school.
The research also includes what time of day students take the bus and if they come to school every day.
Some students take the local Norwalk, Long Beach and Metro buses to and from school.
Others students have to take the buses to the Norwalk Green Line Station, which serves Norwalk.
The Green Line Station is a hub where Metro, Norwalk and Long Beach buses connect to multiple bus lines.
There is also the Green Line train that runs from Norwalk to Redondo Beach and also connects with other trains lines that serve Los Angeles County.
This program would allow students more options on how they can get to school and also promotes public transportation and a cleaner healthier environment.
The ASCC President Miles Aiello is a big supporter of sustainability.
The student population at Cerritos College is rising and it can be tough to find a parking spot. The bus pass would give students more options on how to come to school.
It would benefit both students struggling to find parking and students that take multiple buses or trains.
Catalina Silva, administration of justice major, takes the buses to come to and from school on a daily basis.
According to Silva, many students come to school and have to take their classes all on the same day to make the most out of their bus commute.
A free bus pass would help ease the expenses of college.
With all the extra costs and fees, including text books, class registration fees and other miscellaneous expenses, a free pass will keep more money in the pocket of the student utilizing the local transportation.
Silva said that having a free bus pass would make getting an education more accessible to students.
She said, “Not having transportation sometimes stops us from coming to school.”
The program is still early in the works and is planned to be modeled after Rio Hondo College’s Go Rio program.
Rio Hondo currently offers its students a “Go Rio” pass.
To be eligible for a pass, a student must be enrolled in at least 12 units throughout the semester.
The school’s pass is $9 and is good for one semester. If a student drops a class, his pass is revoked for the semester.
On the occasion that a student loses his pass, it can be replaced for a $10 fee.
If all goes well the program should be ready by next year.
The first meeting will be held Jan. 20.
