Recently, I had one of the worst bus experiences on the #90. For those of you not familiar with this bus, it is the one that departs from downtown Safeway, stops at the Vernon OC campus, then makes a stop in Oyama and Winfield respectively before arriving at UBC-O in Kelowna. From there, non-UBCO students may transfer from another bus to their work; the mall; or another post-secondary campus in Kelowna. As you can see, the demographic is widespread and not limited just to the misconception of it being “a bunch of UBCO whiners who complain about the bus.”
The current #90 schedule has a gap from noon to 4 p.m. Thus, the four o’ clock bus is complete mayhem. Picture a bus where every seat is taken, and then cram 20 people standing from front to back. There is a sign that says “please do not lean on the door,” but it’s rather naive to think that this rule is being followed. Whenever someone needs to get off the bus between Winfield and OC, just think of it as a game of Tetris but the whole board is filled and you’re trying to feed a piece from the bottom to the very top. The level of physical intimacy that takes place around the doors during this process is enough for someone to file a lawsuit and potentially win the case. The first two morning bus runs also have an extensive number of people standing, but not quite to the same extreme.
Am I trying to portray that nothing has been done to improve the #90 route? No. Not at all. I acknowledge that the number of bus runs has doubled since the previous year; however, there are three bus runs that exceed the timetable of the in-town Vernon bus’ hours of operation, making it not as practical for some individuals. Some of those who would be willing to study for an additional hour on campus may be forced to take the 4 o’clock bus simply because it’s their only way to get home without risking a chance of a long walk home with a 20-pound backpack resting on them. The sheer growth of those who take the #90 bus overwhelmingly defeats the improvements this service has made since the ’09-’10 year.
For those of you who disagree with the need of a two o’ clock bus run for the #90, and haven’t had the opportunity to ride that bus yet, I encourage you to take it round trip one day this winter.
Logan Saunders
