Rowdy riders on late bus put service in jeopardy
By Elissa Harrington KVAL NewsEUGENE, Ore - The 79X bus runs from the University of Oregon area to Kinsrow Avenue, an area that is home to thousands of student apartments. In January, the line began running til 2 a.m. "What we heard from students who were living over there and had to access the library or had to do something, they didn't have a way back," said Andy Vobora, the spokesman for Lane Transit District. Now, the line's future is in jeopardy. Vobora says what started as a good idea has turned into something else. "There is a lot of loud talking and yelling in general," he says. "There have been some people who have gotten sick on the bus." That doesn't surprise students. "Most people probably use it as an alternative to taking a cab or driving to campus," said UO student Katie Stalberg. Vobora also says some passengers have been disrespectful to the bus driver. If riders don't clean up their act, LTD is thinking of putting the breaks on this bus come Fall. Before taking drastic measures, LTD is hoping to get the word out and has placed warning signs at certain stops reminding passengers to follow the rules. Students who take this bus had mixed reactions. "I think if they discontinue this it will hurt the community," says student Brogan Taylor who also rides the bus. "If you've been drinking there's really no other way," adds student Rory Cavaille. When KVAL contacted University of Oregon's student body president, Sam Dotters-Katz, he said the good in this situation far outweighs the bad. "Comments by LTD representatives regarding this issue are completely short sighted," he said. "They need to look at the overall risks to the students and to the community." Adds Stalberg, "I would suggest they maybe weigh the benefits with the costs and hopefully be able to put up with some drunk obnoxiousness to keep drunk drivers off the road." "Whether they've been drinking or not is irrelevant to us," says Vobora. "We just need to make sure they're following the rules." |
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