The Camosun Express was a shuttle bus that went between the Lansdowne and Interurban campuses and allowed for an easy commute in what is now a difficult one for students. It was introduced in 2014, but the service has been on pause for a few years, leaving students stranded.
The college needs to reinstate the Camosun Express; the bus allows students to save time and help them focus on their studies. If we had the shuttle bus, students would be less stressed travelling between campuses and they would be apt to take more classes. While there are costs involved with the bus, there is potential for it to then facilitate more tuition, so the college could provide more classes (if it wanted to stay on theme, the classes could be on fighting climate change) and also fund more green initiatives on campus.
In addition, an intercampus shuttle bus would make it easier for students that have classes on both campuses, and they would be more productive commuting throughout the day. Therefore, they would be more successful because they would be more committed to their studies and want to do well. Their grades could go up. So would their confidence, since students would really enjoy their time here and be committed to what they’re studying.
Another benefit of having the intercampus shuttle bus is that it would reduce traffic emissions both on and off the college campuses. Hundreds of students are forced to drive between campuses and spend time searching for parking spots after arriving. This leads to increased levels of air pollution while students drive in circles looking for available places to park.
However, if students could take the shuttle bus, they wouldn’t need their own vehicles for commuting, which would result in fewer cars on the road and lower exhaust emissions in the city. In addition, fewer public buses would be required to transport students who have classes at both campuses on a single day. This would also lower carbon dioxide emissions across the region, which would be a huge benefit to our environment now and for the future. Toxins that are in the air and water now that affect general health would have less impact.
Having the bus service would also make room for converting some of the campus parking spots into green spaces, which the college could perhaps build community gardens in. Allowing students to participate in planting and maintaining community gardens would also help the environment and be good for reducing pollution. For example, growing and eating their own healthy veggies, students wouldn’t have to drive to the grocery store and would save money on transportation costs. Another benefit is that converted green spaces would give our students a chance to enjoy all the advantages of working together to create a garden. This collaboration would give people a sense of community with their fellow students outside of the classrooms, which is very beneficial, especially for new students.
Furthermore, a community garden would be a good learning opportunity for our new generation of communities and students. They could learn how to plant veggies and maintain a safe space on campus. The college has so many nice features, and a community garden would increase the beauty of everything that the campus has to offer and would be a way to expand its resources and its contributions to our communities.
An intercampus shuttle bus will actually benefit the college in the long run. Implementing the service again should be taken into strong consideration.
I understand that the college is facing a huge budget deficit and is cutting costs in many areas, but bringing back the shuttle bus would attract more students, who pay tuition, by increasing their desire to study at both campuses.