Apparently, Regional Transit System has changed a few of its routes for its Later Gator service. I hate to use an oxymoron, but it's a seriously comedic matter.
Complaining about Gainesville public transportation is a time-honored tradition among UF students.
There are as many complaints about the system as complainers, with issues including fire ants at RTS stops, off-schedule buses and too few buses for popular routes.
For the bus company, changing three of its routes before it advertises them doesn't help matters.
Even if RTS did not want students crossing one of Gainesville's most dangerous streets, University Avenue, there is still no excuse for passing the measure before advertising it.
Besides, crossing University Avenue is not that dangerous if you know what you're doing.
Traffic on both sides of the street runs in a cyclical pattern. First, there's a swarm of cars, then they disappear, then they reappear again, and then they stop for a red light before they go again.
As long as people wait patiently at crosswalks, they can cross safely.
I understand these complaints perfectly. As a high school senior, I relied heavily upon public transportation to get me to and from school.
Four days a week, I would wait longer than an hour to pay 50 cents for a three-mile ride down a busy city street. If the bus service decided to change its routes and times without telling me, that would make my life even more complicated.
Either I would have to pay more money for two routes and wait even longer, or I would have to carry my really heavy backpack for longer than an hour in the beating hot sun, wondering why the company left me hanging.
As a consumer of goods and services, including RTS, this is information I must know beforehand so I can change my plans accordingly.
Not all UF students have a car or moped filled with gas so they can go someplace if they can't use a bus that no longer comes their way.
Ultimately, if a company knowingly changes its routes without informing its customers, it's guilty of either unfairness or impulsive behavior.
In this case, it's impulsive behavior.
RTS provides all public transportation for students in Gainesville. There was no justification for rushing to change its routes without advertising them beforehand, because students, more than anyone, needed to know about the changes.
I will give RTS the benefit of the doubt for actively striving to advertise the change and let people know about the route as soon as possible.
I'll also give RTS credit for making changes in the best interests of UF students - to keep them safe. But it would have been best if the bus service took some preliminary steps before making the leap.
That is the cost of a cheap bus ride.
Vincent Gagliano is a sophomore majoring in physics. His column appears on Wednesdays.
