Most universities provide a school bus service to help student's convenience. It makes students arrive in school from the subway station easily and it is used within the campus. CAU also provides a school bus service, so we can go to school more conveniently with it. However many students don't use the school bus due to a lack of information.
*Seoul campus*
Before CAU created the school bus system, students had some problems to get on a local bus. For example, students waited for the local bus for a long time to go to school and complained about the bus driver's service. As a result, four school buses were made by returning the cost of tuition, so all CAU students were allowed to use it for free. School buses are being run by CAU, not consigned to other company, and driven to Noryangin station, Sangdo station and CAU.
Now the school bus is full of many students in case of commute time.
| ▲ 서울캠퍼스 마을버스 타는 곳(중앙대) | ||
However, it is not always as full as the local bus in daytime. Because it runs every 30 minutes from 10:00am to 4:00pm, students don't know whether the bus has passed the station or not. In particular, the case of the Noryangin school bus-stop has a bit of distance from the local bus-stop, so students can't help choosing a bus which arrives quicker between the school bus and the local bus. Thus students used to get on the local bus more often in daytime. This situation is in more disadvantageous position after starting the 'transfer system'. Furthermore, it's more difficult to run school buses frequently because the school bus must drop by the CAU hospital and take the hospital staff..
-What about other university school buses?
Seoul University has 26 school buses. Among these, 20 help for staffs and students to commute to school every 2~5 minutes in commute time, and every 5~10 minutes in daytime. In addition, 6 school buses run within the campus every 4~15 minutes.. Seoul university provides a 'night library school bus' at 9:10~11:10pm. It is made for students who study in the library until night.
In the meantime, Sungkyunkwan University consigned the school buses to an other bus company. Because there are not a local bus directly from Sungkynkwan university to the subway station, they needed more frequent and systematic school buses. Therefore Sungkyunkwan University consigned to the other bus company, so students must pay 300won as bus fare. Athough they must pay a bus fare, students can use school bus quicker and more frequently. They can get on a school bus every 2 minutes in commute time, and every 5 minutes in daytime. Paying bus fare has merits and demerits.
-To use the school bus efficiently ourselves:
First of all, it's important that we try to know about the school bus schedule and to use it effectively. Because school buses are made by our tuition fees, we have a right to use it.
*School bus Time table *
(graph)
The timetable above shows the departing times from CAU. Thus, if you want to know about the school bus time in Noryangin school bus stop, add to 8~10 minutes to the departing time. If you add 18~20 minutes to the departing time, you can know the school bus arriving time in Sangdo. Besides one of the four school buses comes and goes only between Sangdo station and CAU at 8:00~10:00, so we can see that bus frequently at the Sangdo bus-stop. However, this is not perfectly punctual, as heavy traffic can disturb the school bus from arriving at the bus-stop on time. Therefore, CAU needs more exact average school bus time at the Noryangin bus-stop and the Sangdo bus-stop, and should make up some counterplan about stopping the CAU hospital.
*Anseong campus*
In Ans대ng campus, the school bus issue is always hot potato, because 1700~1800 students use the school bus to go to school from other cities like Inchon, Anyang, and Suwon. As a result, many students have a lot of complaints about the school bus service and bus routes. These complaints made works of Inbokwee (committee for human right and welfare) more actively. Now Inbokwee has many ongoing plans for students to use the school bus conveniently.
-School bus to go to school from an other city.
In February, Inbokwee held 'a public tender' to choose a better bus company. Until last semester, the school bus was more expensive than other buses. For instance, the school bus fare is 3000 won from Nambu bus terminal to Anseong campus. On the other hand, the across-country bus fare is 2700 won with a 'students discount'. This situation has changed by 'opening to the public tender'. Now we can use the school bus at a more cheaper price by having more bus routes than last semester. Besides, we will be able to use a four-day ticket, not only a five-day ticket. Each ticket gives a 8%, 10% bus fare discount.
The school bus service will be improved, too. Five monitor persons will observe the service. Furthermore, if the school bus driver receives a warning three times, the driver must be dismissed like a strike-out in a baseball game.
-Example school bus to Pyeongtaek subway station.
Pyeongtaek subway station is the nearest station from Ans대ng campus. Thus the school bus will come and go to Pyeongtaek subway station as an example since March 14. The fare is 1000 won, and the available times are as follows:
(graph2)
-Hope to run the school bus within the campus.
Now the local bus is the only public traffic vehicle that we can use within the Anseong campus, and sometimes this bus doesn't come frequently. We must pay a fee to move within the campus by this local bus. Thus many students want CAU to serve a school bus within the campus. Inbokwee is planning about that, so we will be able to expect a school bus like this next semester.
Each semester, school bus routes are changed in order to accommodate student's convenience in their residential district, and the school bus system is being improved for student's convenience. Therefore, please check your bus route prior to making a final decision to use the bus service. You can check the Anseong school bus from the following Internet sites:
http://cauhakbokwee.co.kr
cauinbokwee.cyworld.com
Do you know the saying, "knowledge is power?" In March, many students use CAU school bus. Then knowing more about the school bus will make your life more convenient.
By Jung Ri-na
News reporter