It takes four quarters to buy something from the 99 Cent Store, and two quarters to buy a cookie from the cafeteria on campus, but it takes only one quarter to ride on the Glendale Beeline buses.
According to the Glendale Public Works, the Beeline has one of the cheapest fares among other local public transportation services. The Beeline cash fare for the general public is 25 cents and only 15 cents for disabled persons and adults over 60.
Neighboring Pasadena and Burbank have double and even triple the fares of the Beeline. Burbank local transportation fare is one dollar per passenger, regardless of age or ability.
Pasadena’s local transportation fare is not as high as Burbank’s, but also not as affordable as Glendale’s. It is 50 cents for the general public and 25 cents for the disabled.
For many GCC students riding the Beeline Bus, it is a convenient and affordable way to get to school. They get to school on time without the stress and frustration of not finding a parking space for just 25 cents per ride.
Mariana Rosales, 21, a motion picture and television arts major, takes the Beeline every day to get to school because she finds it a better deal than purchasing a parking permit.
“Even though I have a car I don’t drive to school and I rather pay 50 cents per day,” said Rosales. “It’s not worth paying $60 when you never find parking.”
Rosales lives three miles away from campus and it takes her about 15 minutes to get to school. But for Karina Aguilar, 21, a communications major, it takes more than an hour to reach school because she lives in Burbank, nine miles away.
As an alternative to taking three buses or driving herself crazy trying to find a parking space, she drives to school but she doesn’t park at any of the parking lots. Instead, she parks her car one and a half miles away in the shopping center on Glendale Avenue.
“I usually drive to school but this semester I’m taking the bus too,” said Aguilar. “I like that I don’t have to feel frustrated about finding parking and it’s only a quarter!”
Unlike Aguilar and Rosales, other students take the bus not just to save money or because they don’t want to deal with stress or frustration, but because of necessity.
Jaqueline Talavera, 20, a liberal studies major, takes the bus because she doesn’t own a car. She takes three buses in order to get to school.
“I take the 94 and 794 in the Metro Line and the Beeline 7 and it takes me half an hour,” said Talavera.
Talavera confesses that she likes the Beeline better than the Metro service.
“The Beeline is cheaper and cleaner and the drivers are nicer,” she said. “And also I like the fact that I know when the bus is coming with nextbus.com.”
Nextbus.com is a Web site that allows students and other Beeline users find out the real arrival time of the next bus at any particular stop. The information can also be sent to any cell phone via text message just by texting the agency and stop number.
The Beeline is one of the seven agencies in Southern California that has this service.
Another advantage of taking the Beeline buses is that if students are taking a non-Beeline bus they can buy a transfer for only 50 cents. This transfer will save 75 cents since the Metro fare is $1.25.
The Beeline offers routes 3 and 7 to students. Bus 3 starts its route by the Glendale Galleria and ends at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also offering service to La Cañada Flintridge. The operation hours are 5:45 a.m. to 7:38 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. on Saturday.
Bus 7’s first stop is located at Victory and Western at the boundary of Glendale and Burbank. Bus 7 does not provide service in Burbank but its bus stops are strategically connected with other Metro stops.
Operation hours are 6 a.m. to 7:07 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information visit www.nextbus.com and www.glendalebeeline.com