Transportation Town Hall Sparks Dialogue on Issues Facing Students and Faculty

By Isabelle Veloz

The Purchase Student Government Association (PSGA) held a transportation town hall in the Red Room in the Student Services Building to discuss various transportation services, such as the Bee-line, the Loop and related finances.

The event drew a diverse crowd of students, staff, and faculty. Panelists included: Anna Ozbek, a journalism professor, Patrick Savolskis, Purchase College association executive director, Modesto Fontanez, the PSGA sustainability coordinator and the Vice President of Administration, Mike Kopas. The conversation quickly turned to challenges faced when utilizing transportation shared across the campus community.

Poster for the town hall being displayed on campus. (Photo by Isabelle Veloz)

Fontanez conducted a survey that highlighted students' frequent complaints about the Loop.

“I'm a student here, and I live on campus, but I have friends who are commuters, and for those students, getting into White Plains is sometimes a nightmare,” said Fontanez. “The number one most common response I've gotten on my survey is that 9-10 a.m. buses are just terrible. I've had my own fair share of bad experiences, so I just want to collect those and make sure we have a record with them, especially with students who are commuters; they matter, and their voices should be heard.”

Anna Ozbek echoed concerns raised in student surveys, saying the morning Loop service is "extremely clear” in its shortcomings.

“The 9 o'clock bus, which I also take, leaves five to10 people behind, and it's totally unacceptable,” Ozbek expressed. “All of those who take the Loop end up having to wait for taxis to come to work. We’re paying hundreds of dollars in taxis to go to work and attend classes.”

Ozbek added that the timing between the White Plains Metro-North train arrival and the loop shuttle is especially frustrating. “A lot of us see the shuttle leave as we get off the train and run down the street screaming at it. It doesn't make any sense. The timing can be shifted a few minutes or increased in frequency.”

Kopas said enrollment declined after COVID-19 left Purchase with a $420,000 deficit. He added that the college received a $10,000 SUNY transportation grant.

“We’ve reached out to public service organizations to see if they'd help us with a survey and collect data,” Kopas said. “We’re working with NYPIRG and SUNY; Gathering data to try to see what adjustments we can make within the current system and budget is our focus for the next year.”

Kopas emphasized the limits of scheduling changes. “These are buses, there's traffic and construction, so aligning it perfectly would be 40% successful. The schedule is a challenge.”

Savolskis notes that the coach buses Purchase used have been under repair for months and are currently unable to be used. There are quick response (QR) Codes that can be scanned in the buses, whether the bus shows up late or shows up early, and then leaves. Things like that need to be reported. Putting up more QR codes on the stops instead of just the loop buses can be effective, as well as linking a form to the QR codes instead of a website or email.

“Maybe we, through PCA supplement Bee-line, can expand their service because they have the big buses and the expertise,” said Kopas. “We’re having an issue that we can't meet the needs of our population, and they have an issue, which is low ridership. Can we fix each other's issues?”

“I was a commuter my first semester here, and it took me two hours to get here from Yonkers because I was relying on the Bee-line system since it was really slow,” said Nick Russ, a senior political science major. “But I do like the idea of having the B-line [Loop around] campus.”

“The question we should ask is, ‘Should we approach faculty and staff and see if they can contribute to the bus system to improve the service?’” said Kopas. “We also have a deficit, but we can figure out the finances. I don't know how that would be received. Not all students are using the Loop, but all students are paying for the Loop, so would that fly with the union, faculty, and staff? We just don't know because we don't have the numbers to show anything.”

Jessica Bullock, the associate director of student engagement and involvement, questioned who was being left behind by the Loop. “I think it's perfectly fine for staff and faculty to be left behind, considering students are the ones that pay for it.”

“All groups of people are being left behind,” said Ozbek. "I paid for taxis with students and faculty all the time, and I think that there's a weird wedge trying to be driven between students, faculty, and staff, but no one should be left behind. This is how I get to this college. It's my only way of transportation to get here, and if I'm paying hundreds of dollars, that's not okay.”

“What about the staff who live further out?" Bullock added. “I know people who drive for two hours with tolls and gas, and the same point could be argued for them as well. If it's a full bus and it's all students and there are people being left behind, that's definitely an issue, but if it's a matter of staff and faculty trying to get to work while students are trying to get to school, where they pay for it, I don't think this is a wedge. I think this is a truth.”