<p>So, I've visited the campus before (campus 'bus' tour) and I know it's a huge place, but the other day I decided to go on a 'self' tour by driving/walking around campus at my own pace and it really hit me: how do most students get around this place?!</p>
<p>Do a good portion just drive from college to college and use the parking areas with permits, or do most rely on the shuttle system? I imagine a student would have to form a class schedule so that they had enough time between classes to catch a shuttle to the next class or walk through the wooded trails. Are the shuttles reliable to get around?</p>
<p>Does transportation become an inconvenience for some?</p>
<p>It just seemed like it took so much effort to go from location to location on campus. My wife went to college on a campus that you could get anywhere walking in 5 minutes.</p>
<p>What about students who live off campus? How long might it take an off-campus student to catch a bus and use the shuttle system to get to class?</p>
<p>Driving from lot to lot is not possible for the majority of undergrads. Most frosh and sophomores aren’t allowed cars on campus and undergrads who are allowed cars are limited on which permit they can purchase. The lots ate strictly enforced.</p>
<p>I personally walked and used the shuttles depending on the day and my level of tiredness. If you know the shortcuts, you can get around in 20-30 minutes depending on how quick you walk. Shuttles fill up quick, but are generally reliable. But I never had to go from the base of campus as I lived at Porter the entire time I was in residence. I had one class at the base, but I always let plenty of time to take a shuttle down there.</p>
<p>Honestly it’s not that bad. You do try to make your schedule work however you can, but sometimes you end up with 15 minutes to get from Crown to Oakes. I actually lucked out I busted an ankle that quarter because I was able to take advantage of DVS to get around for a few weeks. Only time all quarter I ever made that Oakes class on time.</p>
<p>I loved walking. It was peaceful and gorgeous going to each class :)</p>
<p>I should have mentioned that I’ll be a transfer student, married, with a full-time job in SJ. I don’t plan on living on campus (but would live in SC if I attended), so my first option will be going for a parking permit, although I would be open to busing in to campus and then using shuttles for the day.</p>
<p>I booked another guided tour in Oct (when class is actually in session) and I’ll ask about these options then too.</p>
<p>Either way, you can’t drive from college to college and park like that… Each college parking lot has individual permits that only apply to that specific college.
You can definitely park on campus (especially if you’re not living on campus) in one of the remote parking lots, or if you’re lucky and manage to apply early enough, ONE of the college parking lots. But as far as I know, unless you’re a grad student or faculty member, you can’t park in most of the lots on campus.</p>
<p>Best option would probably be to get a remote parking permit and bus it or walk around campus. Buses to and from the remote lots are fairly frequent and pretty much guarantee you a spot on the bus. If you’re living in SC, metro buses are also an option, but I highly recommend a remote permit instead, as the metro buses can be unreliable, come too infrequently, and are often packed to the gills during the peak commute times.</p>
<p>If you’re commuting only at night, a night commuter permit is also an option. That lets you park in more lots.</p>
Good enough for me then. I just had reservations on how reliable the on-campus bussing system was, but it seems usable from the feedback. Thanks, all.</p>
<p>I’d say for just getting from class to class, they can definitely be unreliable since you never know when a bus will show up at a given bus stop (they can get delayed if there’s heavy pedestrian traffic or a lot of people getting on and off buses) or whether or not there will be room. But in terms of getting out of the parking lot to a class, they really are incredibly reliable and leave on a set schedule. In the mornings, they usually even wait around until exactly the time they’re supposed to leave in case anyone is running from their car to get on the bus on time. The upper campus buses (they go into the remote lots, never to the base of campus) leave in 15 minute intervals and I found them to be the best option since loop buses get crowded with people going to and from the base.</p>
<p>Overall, the on-campus bus system is great. And as someone who had to rely on both TAPS and the Santa Cruz Metro buses, I’d say they’re far better than the metro system in terms of sticking to a schedule and adjusting how many buses were running based on how much they were needed. I can’t tell you how many times I was stuck at bus stops for sometimes over 45 minutes waiting for a metro bus during peak commute hours, while 6 campus buses came and went. Anyway, I learned my lesson and got a parking permit after that quarter.</p>
<p>You can only park in any of the 3 remotes if you have a C or R permit, you may only park in your Specific C lot. those are the only two permits available to undergrads.</p>