Free Lyft Rides Between Campuses
Starting Monday, September 17th, Santa Monica College will be launching a new transportation initiative, ending SMC’s late-afternoon campus shuttle service in favor of using Santa Monica’s “Big Blue Bus” and shared Lyft Rides to transport students in between campuses. Under this new initiative, students will be able to hail Lyft rides using an exclusive code that will allow them to get in between campuses for free.
The SMC Board of Trustee’s believes this new initiative will be cheaper for SMC than maintaining late afternoon shuttle services, and facilitate easy and timely transport in between Main Campus, the Performing Arts Center, Bundy Campus, and the Center for Media Design (CMD).
Faculty across campus were informed of the major change in transportation just five days before the changes were to be implemented. Instructions were distributed by the SMC Center for Environmental and Urban Studies, which asked faculty to take main responsibility in informing students about the changes.
SMC Student Shayla Welch, a Media/Advertising major who takes classes at the CMD, said, “That [initiative] sounds nice,” going on to say: “If students are taking Lyft anyways, then it’s a lot more convenient. If I was taking a class later, then I would want to take a Lyft. And I would feel thankful that [the school] is paying for it."
The new initiative also addresses student security concerns echoed by Welch, who spoke to her relief saying, “You’re not crammed on a bus and have to worry about your stuff or your belongings.”
Students can speak to campus faculty for more information, or visit the SMC’s transportation page at www.smc.edu/StudentServices/transportation. Using an SMC ID and an exclusive code, students will be able to hail Lyft rides from the campuses and times listed below.
Bundy: Lyft Shared will take over shuttle route from 5:30PM until 10:30PM, Monday - Friday.
Center for Media Design: Lyft Shared will take over shuttle route from 7:30PM until 10:30PM, Monday - Friday.
Performing Arts Center: Big Blue Bus lines #41 and #42 will take over shuttle route entirely.