Written by: Eadie H. and Keira W.
Public transit is a form of transportation many KCI students use to get to and from school - but how does it function with so many people on board? The Edge asked public transit users here at the school about their experiences.
Upon interviewing two grade nine students, Amelia and Kustav, The Edge gained insight into their personal experiences using public transit. Both Amelia and Kustav take the ION to and from KCI. Thus, The Edge decided to look into morning and afternoon experiences on the ION for the general student population at KCI.
Upon interviewing passengers about their experiences, it was found that the ratings for the afternoon are lower than in the mornings. In the mornings, there are significantly fewer students and people using the ION in general, and that makes it more peaceful. The average rating for the morning ride on the ION was notably higher than the afternoon's average. When students were asked to rate their ION experiences in the morning versus in the afternoon, the average morning score was 5.6/10, and the average afternoon score was 7.4/10. That is a difference of 1.8, which may seem like a lot, but can make a big difference for those affected.
Taking public transportation has been a hectic experience for many kids at KCI as seen with the sheer amount of people on the ION, as well as city buses. Experiences like peculiar interactions with strangers and missed stops are things that a lot of students have experienced while taking public transit.
Let's take a dive into some specific exchanges between KCI students and the other passengers on public transit:
Moira, a grade twelve student said, "I feel like everybody has been hit on, on public transit." Additionally, upon interviewing a mix of gender-diverse students, we found that there were a lot of females who had very unpleasant experiences. People have also found issues with the amount of time it takes for the ION, or the bus, to arrive, ranging between five and 60 minutes (note that the bus typically has a longer wait than the ION), plus the time it takes to get to the transit station.
Another issue students experience upon taking public transit is unpredictability with other passengers. For example, people who might pose a risk to other passengers' safety. There is a diverse range of issues that impact students in terms of public transit that students feel need to be examined further.
Moreover, bus passes and taking public transit in general are costly according to KCI students. The price to get on public transit is around $4.00, and that can add up over the number of times going to and from school five days a week. One resource that helps some KCI students is that they get a free bus pass due to living a certain distance away.
The average cost for a student to use public transportation once a day, five days a week for every week in the school year would be around $960. That alone is a lot of money, not to mention other costs such as taking public transit more than once a day, other family members also paying for their own public transportation, and taking public transit all four years of high school, which would total up to - at the very least $4000. Students in older grades at KCI mentioned that when they entered high school, the fare was only around $2.50, and now it's $4.00. These prices going up are making a change in how people get to and from school.
Clearly, with all of the students who require public transit to attend KCI, there are many challenges that must be overcome. While there is some support for out-of-district students, KCI students agree that further support to simply get to school and back home safely without worry of cost is required.