For those who rely upon its many school routes, Wheels buses can be a subject of controversy for those it services. While the appearance of such buses after school may evoke the feeling of an intricate transit system that blankets Dublin, many come to find that such a system does not exist.
However, that is bound to change. Wheels has recently debuted a new campaign called “Wheels In Motion” which puts forth three scenarios as to how Wheels can shape the future of public transportation in the Tri-Valley. The proposal entails three options: 1) maintaining the existing status quo, 2) increasing frequency, or 3) increasing coverage—all topics of which the public can vote on and share feedback about on their website.
With the new proposals released, what do students think about it? Sophomore and East Dublin resident Armaan R. had much to say about it, “I think it’s really inspiring and great to see how Wheels is putting such a big service change for everyone to comment, vote, and weigh in on; no other agencies would do that!” “Scenarios two and three would affect me the most. Scenario #3 being the best, because it has a lot of good coverage routes whilst not completely abandoning frequency.” says Armaan, who has to walk a mile just to get to the nearest 30R stop.
But why is Wheels suddenly putting more effort into their future prospects? That answer lies with DHS Arc Coordinator Ms. Josey, who is a member of the Wheels Board.
“We haven’t looked at our routes in a little while, certainly not post pandemic. We’re trying to make sure we can serve people who ride the bus. We wanna make sure that we’re aligned with who is riding our buses and going where they want to go.”
But what does this mean for DHS students? With familiarity of school buses, traffic, and where students commute from, the new Wheels In Motion campaign puts students at the forefront. “We would love them to take the bus to other places and for them to see Wheels as an option more than just commuting to school and to home” says Ms. Josey, “We’re trying our best to figure out how to make the bus convenient, because if the bus isn’t convenient then Dublin High students won’t take it.”Consider Armaan R, who has to walk a mile to the nearest 30R stop, an experience felt by many students who have no local service to their homes. Ms. Josey describes it as a “chicken and an egg scenario, where you want to make sure that your buses go places that people want to go […] but also to make it come often enough that people want to ride the bus.”
It’s all about finding a sweet spot between service and coverage. With the Wheels In Motion campaign, Wheels attempts to hear from the public themselves, and especially from students. As to what the future entails for Tri-Valley transit? Ms. Josey looks optimistically: “The more Dublin High students realize that [the bus] is an option, and that it’s a safe and convenient option […] then we can make the bus go where people want to go and make it convenient to get there.”
