By Kailee Santiago, September 12, 2023
The opening of the Silver Streak stop on campus provides a new way for students and staff to get around town and campus.
The Silver Streak bus stop opened for the Cal Poly Pomona campus Jan. 23. Since the unveiling of the new Foothill Transit stop, many students and staff praised the way it assists them throughout their commutes.
From CPP to downtown Los Angeles, the Silver Streak line serves several different areas in Los Angeles and San Bernardino county such as downtown LA, El Monte, West Covina, Pomona and Montclair — providing accessibility for students.
The idea behind the new stop was to create an efficient transit service to prevent traffic and parking clutter. It also saves Cal Poly Pomona from paying $50 million to build a new parking structure and increasing parking fees, said John Lloyd, co-chair of the Alternative Transportation Committee and a history professor at CPP.
It also contributes to making the campus more bike and pedestrian friendly as well as more accessible for people with disabilities, which is one of the main goals of the Alternative Transportation Committee.
During the fall 2023 semester, the new stop is averaging around 135 to 145 boardings a day, according to Danny Wu, executive director of CPP’s Office of Transportation and Planning.
“It’s a very popular service for students, faculty and employees,” Wu said. “In one survey, we asked people how satisfied they are with the service and more than 80% expressed they are satisfied or extremely satisfied.”
Frida Hernandez, a construction engineering student, said the addition of the Silver Streak has saved her time and money from commuting back and forth from campus and home.
“It has definitely helped me in so many ways,” Hernandez said. “The parking situation at school is just the worst. I would have to leave my house at least two to three hours early in order to find a parking spot to make it to class on time.”
The service lets many students beat the traffic to and from campus, saves them a headache from finding limited parking and offers many opportunities to use the Silver Streak to explore the surrounding cities all without a cost.
“With the new stop, I don’t have to stress about how far I have to park because the
Silver Streak is able to pick me up at the El Monte station and take me directly to school,” Hernandez said. “The convenience saves me a lot more time, money and stress.”
Ariah Moya, a math student, likes to take the transit in her free time or whenever she is feeling adventurous.
“With my Class Pass, I’ve explored many parts of downtown Los Angeles and will continue to keep using the new transit to seek new adventure,” said Moya. “I’ve gotten to explore many new places, try new foods and meet new people all because of this new bus stop.”
The Class Pass program allows students to use Foothill Transit an unlimited number of times, including the Silver Streak bus stop. The pass is free for all students and can be picked up at the Bronco Student Center at the ASI Financial Services Main Service Counter.
Even through all the positive feedback, one inconvenience students and staff mentioned is how they wished the Silver Streak operated on campus longer. As of right now, the transit travels on campus Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7.p.m.
The next step for the Alternative Transportation Committee and the Foothill Transport board is to provide later services and more bus routes for Cal Poly Pomona.
“We’ve been trying to work with the agency to allocate more resources to help serve the evening hours for students who are taking night classes,” Wu said.
To learn more about the Silver Streak Busline, visit CPP’s Transportation website.
Feature image courtesy of Jose Hernandez
