Every afternoon, I watch the same scene play out at the front of Lightridge High School. Cars line up all the way past the kiss and ride to the entrance, parents inching forward like it’s a race to get to the front of the school. I’ve been stuck in that mess before, trapped behind a line of cars that barely move, wondering why so many students can’t just take the bus. The truth is, chaos isn’t necessary; it’s a choice. If more students rode the bus, the traffic would decline heavily, students with real reasons for needing rides wouldn’t have to deal with absurd wait times, and maybe, just maybe, we could remove the stigma against buses and make riding buses socially acceptable.
The constant repeating of a traffic jam almost feels like I am stuck in a video game. Parents wait for 10 minutes just to move a few car lengths, and students sit scrolling on their phones in the passenger seat like it’s normal. Meanwhile, dozens of half-empty buses pull up right on the other side of the building, ready to take students home without hassle. It’s ironic, and frankly, entitled, how people complain about how long pickup takes. The solution is literally parked RIGHT in front of them. They’re free. They work. But for some reason, too many students act like riding the bus is a despicable act.
If more people took the bus, things would actually run smoother for everyone. Fewer cars would mean less congestion, less stress for the teachers just trying to park and get to their students, and faster dismissal for the people, who for example, have mobility issues. Plus, taking the bus is way safer than having hundreds of cars trying to merge out of the same tiny exit at once. We have literally had dozens of crashes every school year. Buses have trained drivers who know what they’re doing, and they move in an organized line instead of the wild chaos that happens at pickup every day. On top of that, fewer cars mean less gas wasted, which is overall better for the environment given all the turmoil it’s been facing recently.
A big reason students avoid the bus is the stigma. For some reason, people act like taking the bus is only for freshmen or for students who “don’t have another option.” But that’s just a mindset people made up. There’s nothing embarrassing about riding the bus, it’s honestly very practical. And if more people started doing it, it would stop feeling like such a big deal. Additionally, the more students who ride, the better buses we can get. The increase in bus riders would warrant more funding, bringing in better maintenance, cleaner interiors, and maybe even newer buses. But that can’t happen if everyone keeps acting too cool for it.
Sure, buses can sometimes be late or crowded. I get it, it’s not perfect. But sitting in traffic for half an hour isn’t exactly perfect either. And at least on the bus, you can relax, talk to friends, or just zone out instead of being stuck in the same car line you’ve been in all year. There is even Wi-Fi on the bus to do homework on your Chromebook. If people gave it a real chance, they’d realize it’s not that bad. In fact, it’s way less stressful than trying to navigate that traffic disaster every afternoon.
In the end, it’s simple. The traffic outside Lightridge doesn’t have to be this bad. We can fix it if more students just stop acting like the bus is beneath them and start seeing it for what it really is: convenient, efficient, and way less stressful. The next time you’re stuck in that long car line, maybe ask yourself, is it even worth the “cool” points?
