Many of us have questions about a lot of things about coronavirus, but one question some of us thought about, are we still allowed to use the free bus pass even if school is closed?
Fullerton College has given the best offer to those in need of transportation. All eligible full-time students have been given a free bus pass for a whole semester. Now the bigger question is, are the free bus passes being used now that campuses are closed?
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is in the one behind the school bus passes. OCTA has given us an explanation about the varieties of schools taking good advantages of the free bus passes.
The price of bus fare is $2.00 per ride and $5.00 for a whole day pass that expires at 2 a.m. the next day. The monthly cost for a pass for a whole month is $69.00 but with Fullerton College involvement with OCTA students do not have to worry about the fares and costs since they can ride for free. Contacting OCTA customer information line gave us an inside view on the bus passes and mentioned they are indeed being used as many students have called about them.
The question is how many bus passes are being used? OCTA mentioned that there are approximately 7,718 bus passes being used. OCTA will be extending and continuing the program with many different colleges.
OCTA has assured that the bus passes are still being available for students to use even if the colleges are closed. COVID-19 has no effect on the student’s bus passes.
OCTA is taking heavy measures on the buses by deep cleaning to disinfect the buses daily. They are most importantly cleaning the parts that are mostly touched by people.
OCTA is not closing their transportations, but they are indeed running on a Sunday schedule. Why is that? OCTA is doing a temporary change to ensure the safety of others such as drivers and passengers.
OCTA is not limiting the number of people on the bus but if it is indeed overcrowded be sure to call them and inform them. It is the passengers’ responsibility to keep a social distancing to other passengers.
“Yes I’m aware that the college offers free bus passes because it’s advertised everywhere and students are encouraged to take advantage of it,” said Andrew Castillo a full-time Fullerton College student. Castillo is eligible as well as most students that reach a certain amount of credits. The free bus passes really helps students like Castillo because they can use it for everything and don’t stress about finding a ride to school or home. “Due to covid-19 I don’t want to use public transportation because of the risk of getting sick,” said Castillo.
For any more information on buses or need some great customer service contact OCTA at (714)636-7433, they are there for anything you need open 7 days a week. They are open from M-F 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and weekend from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. You can always check on their octa.net website for further more information.
