I’m a huge fan of the bus system here. It is great that the bus drivers and the transportation office provide us with a quicker route to class. However, like almost every aspect of college, there are some things about the buses that could be improved to make the system a lot safer and less confusing for students.

Last week, I unknowingly got on to a bus that was about to go out of service. I don’t normally ride the No. 5 — Varsity bus, but I did last week. I never will again though.

I had been at Talley Student Center with my brother and was trying to get back to my apartment in Wolf Village.

I’m fully aware that 6:40 p.m. is not generally thought of as a dangerous time. However, for some people, it’s engrained that night is not as safe as day and that it’s not a good time to be outside, alone or with a group of people. I grew up in a neighborhood where being outside alone in the dark was more dangerous than anything else.

The No. 7 — Wolflink bus arrived at Carmichael Gymnasium and would not accept more passengers. Instead of waiting for another bus, I—along with two girls, who I didn’t know—got on the No. 5 — Varsity bus to get to West Deck. It seemed like a good idea at the time; it was cold and I didn’t want to wait anymore.

We got on the bus and rode to the first stop in the Varsity lot, only to be told the bus was out of service and we had to get off. There were many other passengers on the bus who were not planning to get off, as well as people waiting at the stop to get on the bus. The driver of the bus said it would be at least 16 minutes before another bus came. Keeping in mind that it was only about 40 degrees and dark, I didn’t want to stand still. The two other girls and I decided to walk from that stop to West Deck.

I’m still confused as to why we couldn’t ride the No. 7 bus at Carmichael Gym. According to the schedule, the No. 7 — Wolflink bus is not supposed to go out of service anywhere except at Wolf Village at 6:13 p.m. and 6:23 p.m. The fact that the bus did not follow the schedule is a reason for pause as well as concern.

I admit, if you look at the schedule, the No. 5 bus is scheduled to go out of service at 6:41 p.m. in Varsity Parking Lot, but we didn’t have time to look at the schedule before getting on the bus. It would have been a lot safer for the students riding the No. 5 bus if the driver had said the bus was about to go out of service while still on Main Campus so we didn’t get stranded in Varsity lot.

I would have much rather walked from Carmichael Gymnasium to Wolf Village or waited an additional 30 minutes for the next bus. Instead I ended up in Varsity Parking Lot, an area with which I am not familiar. From there, I had to walk on a dark road with very few streetlights and cross Western Boulevard at night.

The bus system at night is very scattered. I admit that fewer students are out and it makes sense to have fewer buses running. However, the safety of students who have to be out at night should be taken into account.

It would be nice if the buses could have a banner that would say something like “Last three stops.” The banners, such as “Bus Full” or “Drop off only,” are extremely helpful because they convey important messages to people waiting to ride the bus. Having a banner convey that the bus would soon be out of service would help increase the safety of students.