Public Bussing: The Problems it Poses Students

In a previous issue of The Cascade there was an article published detailing the negatives of the Seattle Public School’s transit systems. Since said article, there have been several new developments regarding Seattle Public School’s buses. In this article, an Ingraham student will share their experiences and opinions on these developments. 

In an attempt to get more bus routes for middle and elementary schoolers, Seattle Public Schools cancelled all school buses for high school students. While prioritizing the younger kids in the district is an approach many will respect, it has caused a new wave of issues for high school students who cannot drive themselves. The district has attempted to solve this issue by offering free Orca Cards to all high school students. This does present students with the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of public transport in Seattle, which they can use for years to come. However, not all students taking the city bus are responding positively to this approach. Several students are forced to take multiple buses if they want to get to school, with transfers in high crime areas. There are countless examples of inappropriate conduct on public buses, which students feel puts them in dangerous situations.

For example, one Ingraham student recounts their experience riding the bus to school two years ago. “On this specific day I got on the bus with one of my friends. As we approached an intersection on Aurora, the bus stopped to let on another passenger. This passenger was clearly disoriented, and possibly under the influence different substances. They had some sort of bottle in a paper bag. They lay down on the seats and drank from the bottle.” The bus driver proceeded to ask the passenger to remove themselves from the bus, stopping on the other side of the Aurora intersection. The passenger quickly became aggravated with the other passengers and the bus driver because of this. “They yelled at the whole bus for a few minutes, before  getting up to leave. Right before exiting the bus, they turned around and threw the bottle at my group of friends. This revealed to us it was white wine that they were drinking.” This is just one of many student experiences on the bus that leave them feeling unsafe but stuck taking the bus where they encountered these uncomfortable and dangerous situations.    

These situations of endangerment, uncomfortable situations and unsafe conduct on public buses means public transit is not something many students are yearning to utilize. This can cause students to participate in complicated carpools, working parents to be late to their jobs, and overall, a large amount of inconvenience for everyone. 

The student interviewed earlier in the article proposes a solution, saying, “SPS needs to provide more transportation for students who live in bus ‘dead zones’ (referring to locations in the city where there are not many public busses, and a transfer is required for reaching most places in the city). This is also the responsibility of the city. Seattle needs to improve their city buses as well, with increased routes, stricter protocol about incidents on the city buses, and better employee screening.” 

Will Seattle Public Schools respond to this student, and many others, complaints about the busing situation in the district? Only time will tell.