Quick Take
UC Santa Cruz students say they've experienced longer wait times for buses and more overcrowded buses since the campus removed buses for inspections after a crash last month. Officials say they're still investigating the cause of the Dec. 12 crash.
UC Santa Cruz students say that since campus officials removed some buses from the roads for safety inspections after a bus crash last month, delays and overcrowding have increased, causing some to arrive late to class.
“I’ve been late and I’ve actually missed a class too,” said fourth-year student Christian Markey.
The school pulled all of its 35-foot and 30-foot buses off the roads following the Dec. 12 crash for inspections. A month later, at least five out of 16 35-foot buses have been inspected and returned to use, UCSC spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason told Lookout. The school has added smaller shuttles, known as “cutaway” buses, to some of its routes, Hernandez-Jason said.
On the night of Dec. 12, a bus carrying six people crashed into a lime kiln at the base of campus. Driver Dan Stevenson died on Dec. 29. Five student passengers were treated for injuries.
Hernandez-Jason told Lookout that campus officials are still investigating the cause of the crash. Last week, Stevenson’s longtime partner, Sheilah Renaud, told Lookout she did not know what happened the night of Dec. 12.
Students said when they heard about the crash, they were saddened, shocked and alarmed. They checked with friends to make sure people were safe, and mourned the loss of Stevenson.
In the weeks since the accident, several students told Lookout that they have noticed more overcrowding on the buses and longer waiting times. Some students said they’ve begun walking instead or are starting their commutes about 25 minutes earlier to get to class on time.
Mya Martinez, 20, is a second-year student studying education who lives on campus at Rachel Carson College. On Tuesday morning, Martinez said she waited about 25 minutes longer than she typically does for the bus, which caused her to arrive late to class. Martinez said her instructor was understanding.
“I just made a joke about it, and they laughed about it, and agreed,” she said.
Susana Itzel Juarez Mancera, 18, is a first-year student studying agroecology. She lives with a family friend near the base of campus and takes the bus to and from school.
She said she’s noticed that she’s waiting about 10 minutes longer than she normally would, which has led her to now leave earlier to catch the bus.
Charlee Goulden, 20, a third-year student studying business management, said she felt awful to hear about the bus crash. Her first thoughts went to how students have been raising the alarm about the safety and quality of the buses – though she emphasized she’s not sure what caused the crash.
She noticed that since the university started inspecting the buses, the issues of overcrowding and waiting times have gotten worse.
“They’re already delayed as is, but they’re also smaller,” she said of the replacement shuttle buses.
UCSC’s 35-foot buses are under inspection by the California Highway Patrol. Hernandez-Jason hasn’t responded to repeated questions about whether the inspections have turned up any maintenance or safety issues, or when the inspections will be completed.
Hernandez-Jason said he would provide more information about inspections once the process is completed.
“We are always striving to provide the highest level of service to our campus community and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we work toward returning to our regular service levels,” he wrote. “We’ve encouraged students, faculty, and staff to anticipate possible travel delays and be understanding if people are running late.”
Lookout requested information about what the inspection process entails and why it takes so long. Hernandez-Jason didn’t provide an interview with CHP or transit officials but wrote in an email: “The CHP inspections focused on the following areas: maintenance program, driver records, driver hours, brakes, lamps and signal, connecting devices, steering and suspension, tires and wheels, equipment requirements, containers and tanks, and hazardous materials.
“Our bus inspection process is ongoing, and we are focused on being able to return to our regular service levels once it’s complete,” he added. “Our staff are focused on both providing transportation services for students and managing the independent inspections of our fleet.”
Kip Téllez, an education professor, said he hasn’t experienced impacts from the bus situation himself and his students haven’t been arriving late to his class. He was expecting to have maybe one or two arrive late but there had been no issues.
“One maybe two students came up to me on the first night of class and said, ‘Hey, I have a class up at Porter before this,'” he said, adding that they didn’t end up arriving late.
The December crash isn’t the only incident involving UCSC’s campus buses. In November, a bus caught fire near Oakes College. Over the past year, students and the union that represents bus drivers have raised concerns about the aging bus fleet, calling the buses unsafe and unreliable.
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