Long Beach State’s Parking and Transportation Services switched to the Passio GO shuttle service app in early October, but some students have taken issue with how it affects their commute on campus.
Brian Enriquez, a junior creative writing major at CSULB, uses the shuttles to travel from the campus’s beachside residence. He doesn’t use the app because of his experience with its unreliability.
“There have been some instances where the drivers, who are all amazing people, will turn off the tracking on it, so it could be a little unreliable,” Enriquez said.
Enriquez is debating transferring to Hillside or Parkside dorms so he doesn’t have to deal with the shuttles.
Melanie Polanco, a studio arts major, had similar feelings about the new app. She said the previous version was more accurate.
“This one is a little bit confusing because you tap on the location that you have and it sends you to a different one sometimes,” Polanco said. “You can’t really see how long it’s going to take for the bus to get to you. It’ll say seven to nine minutes, but it’s not an actual approximation.”
Shuttles having approximate times create issues with students when it comes to arrival times. Chad Keller, Public Relations and Communications Specialist claimed there is no specific arrival time with the shuttles.
“A misconception is that the shuttles have specific arrival times and they do not. That’s a common misconception,” Keller said.
The shuttles run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., circling the CSULB campus.
According to Keller, the new shuttle app was included with the parking and transportation services shuttle contract with LAZ Parking, CSULB’s shuttle service provider.
There are four shuttle routes servicing both on-campus and off-campus locations. These routes are covered by 10 shuttles operating in rotation.
Among these routes, three—the West Loop, East Loop, and All Campus Tripper—are designated for serving the campus. The fourth route, Beachside, is specifically tailored to Beachside residents commuting between Beachside Village and campus.
While the Beachside shuttle is available to non-Beachside students if space is available, priority seating is reserved for Beachside residents who demonstrate their residency with a sticker on their CSULB ID card.
The West and East Loops are the preferred options for students getting to the general parking areas on the campus’ west and east sides.
To use Passio GO, download the free app for your Apple iOS device or Android and select “CSULB” as the agency.
For those without a mobile device, Passio GO also provides a Desktop interface.