Belleville Transit bus overcrowding causing stress for Loyalist students

Loyalist College students are showing showing up late for classes because already-full Belleville Transit buses pass them by. “You’re lucky if you get on the bus. If you’re not at the terminal, or one of the first two stops, they turn you away ’cause there’s just no room,” first-year student Willow Empson told QNet News.  Photo by Jessica Schmidt, QNet News

By Jessica Schmidt

BELLEVILLE – The steady stream of students returning to the Loyalist College campus appears to be too much for the Belleville Transit buses, at least according to some students.

The first few days of the school year have seen packed buses and students showing up late for class because there’s no room for them to get on. When that happens, they have to wait half an hour for the next bus. That’s leaving students feeling stressed.

“You’re lucky if you get on the bus. If you’re not at the terminal, or one of the first two stops, they turn you away cause there’s just no room,” Willow Empson, a first-year student, told QNet News.

Another student, Erika, who would not provide her last name, said, “It’s kind of stressful to be inside of a bus with that many people.” Empson agreed, citing the ongoing COVID pandemic and noting that most riders don’t wear a mask and you can’t practise social distancing when the bus is crammed.

“It’s honestly really stressful because I have people at home who are immunocompromised. Every day I take that bus I’m throwing those dice – on their life, my life, everyone else.”

Empson is a longtime user of Belleville Transit, and said she considered not coming to Loyalist this fall because of the stress the crowded buses have caused her through the pandemic. Sometimes she can avoid the bus thanks to friends who carpool, but other times it’s unavoidable, she said. 

Erika said she imagines the bus drivers are also stressed.

She has seen drivers get out of the bus, line up the people waiting to board, and tell them where they have to sit and where to keep their bags, in order to fit in as many people as possible. 

Empson and Erika both said they haven’t been late to classes, but only because they add more time to their school day by arriving at the bus stop early. Other students have not been as lucky, with drivers refusing to let them board an already-full bus.

Having to adjust their day because of the full buses also means extra costs for students, Empson said. A longer day means increased food costs. As well, she has less time at home to be able to do everything she needs to, she said. 

To ease the problem, the city could add a second bus to its Route 7 to and from Loyalist, she suggested, or even add another bus that comes every 15 minutes. She often hears people talking about how most cities have buses arriving every seven minutes, and how it helps reduce crowding on buses, she added. 

Erika had a similar suggestion: “I know the transit system is struggling with not having enough drivers, enough buses, and it’s not always their fault. But they could make a fast (route) from the terminal right to the college” with no stops along the way. 

QNet News tried to reach Paul Buck, the manager of transit services for the city, for a comment on the situation, but was told he is at a conference this week and unavailable.