The cuts faced by Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) have not gone unnoticed—particularly for commuters using public transportation, who have seen over the years tens of thousands of students be displaced onto the Long Beach Transit system.
Morning routes have significantly become more and more crowded, with residents like Diedra Rae posting photos on Instagram (attached to this article) entitled, “Sardine city!” and showcasing a bus that has no sitting or standing room.
And while bus drivers have voiced their gripes about the situation, both groups involved—LBUSD and LBT—recognize the problem and are, within their capacity, attempting to make the transition as seamless as possible.
“Yes, we have definitely seen our ridership increase, and particularly on bus routes serving our local schools,” said LBT spokesperson Dana Lee.
This fall semester marked a year where just 2,000 LBUSD students are being transported by school buses, compared to 22,000 just a few years ago. The reduction is nothing new, as the district has been making cuts to transportation steadily as state funding has decreased significantly.
Chris Eftychiou of LBUSD notes, rather frankly, that outside of mandated transportation for special education students, “We have very little bussing left… The school district has worked closely with Long Beach Transit on this issue. We have also worked to provide affected parents ample notice, and Transit has advised the public that certain routes may be busier than before, meaning riders may need to plan ahead and leave plenty of time for their commute.”
That partnership has been much to the bane of regular morning riders, as route times near schools have been altered to coordinate with bell schedules in tandem with bus route start and end times. Lee, however, insists that LBT is providing additional trippers during peak periods to ensure that no one is left at a stop.
“We are constantly monitoring and adjusting it as we are able,” Lee said.