Keep On Rolling On
by Varya Kataria and Sophie Freeston
October 4, 2021
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On September 10th this year, many secondary school students all across Ottawa took their first ride on an OC Transpo bus. What may sound like a small inconvenience for those already adjusted to public transportation, was in fact a large step towards adulthood for many others. Just as everyone began to let themselves believe, after a year-and-a-half of uncertainty, that schools would return to a somewhat normal routine, students were thrown into a brand new challenge.
When faced with a shortage of bus drivers, OSTA responded by transferring the busses allotted to secondary students to elementary schools. They did this to ensure that younger students would not have to learn to navigate public transportation so early in their lives. In doing so, however, they eliminated the transportation that secondary students had come to rely upon during their years at school.
Students, who have previously been chauffeured to and from school, were suddenly made responsible to secure their own seat on the bus. Unfortunately, fitting oneself into the bus is not as simple a task as it sounds. Here’s a walkthrough:
First, the student must decide which bus stop to walk to. There are upstairs bus stops that may require a bit of hasty walking, but from the effort, there is an almost guaranteed seat on the bus. The closest stop is located just meters away from the school. The next is a block down Fable Street. And the last one, on the other side of the round-about, is a good five-minute walk away. As the distance increases, so does ones chance of making it onto the crowded bus.
Second, if the student made it on the bus (and they can only hope it was the right one), they must find out where to get off. For many, this meant texting a friend or guardian, but for others, it meant scouring through online bus routes to find one that pases at least near their house.
Okay, so they’ve gotten off at their layover stop and they’re waiting for the final bus that will take them home. They’ve done it. There’s the bus! They see it in the distance! Two friends begin to congratulate each other on accomplishing what felt impossible as they scan their passes to enter the bus.
But wait.
It’s slowing down.
“We only got on a second ago!” they say.
The words that leave the driver’s mouth take away all the excited spirit they had only a moment ago: “End. Of. Route.”
Nevertheless, the students make it home safe with a wealth of experience to call upon for future endeavours.
High school is a step towards adulthood. A push towards student independence that has never been more apparent than now. During this stressful and possibly frustrating time, it is important to recognize what good can be found among such drastic changes to a normal school year. For example, no exams; less stress right there. Dealing with stressful situations is a part of maturing, so without exams, the panic-induced adrenaline has to come from somewhere.
So whether you’re fresh out of middle school, about to graduate, or anywhere in between—
To students who rely on the OC Transpo: just don’t lose your bus pass, and know that life will keep on rolling on.
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