By DeAnthony Farmer
Guest columnist
I wake up every day at 6 a.m., wash my face and get dressed. Most mornings, I don’t have time to cook breakfast before I leave to catch the bus. I dig out a plate of leftovers and devour it quickly.
I like to arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes early. After boarding, I grab a seat and listen to music during the 23-minute ride to school.
After attending all my classes at Forest Park, I walk over to Oakland Avenue and wait for the bus again. I get home, prepare for the next day and then it’s off to bed.
Metro Transit has been an enormous part of my transportation routine for as long as I can remember. When I enrolled in college in 2011, I was happy to find out that full-time students had the luxury of purchasing semester bus passes at a discount.
In 2011, the semester bus pass cost $145. By 2014, it had gone up to $180. I understand Metro’s need for upgrades, but the majority of students have expenses that outweigh their incomes.
I initially felt lucky that public transportation was available just two blocks from my mom’s house, but that view changed after prices went up so much.
A student must carry 12 credit hours and receive financial aid to buy a semester bus pass. If those barriers aren’t enough, Metro recently announced it will no longer offer the discount to those 24 and older.
Many students who attend STLCC have to rely on semester bus passes, particularly those who are disabled or can’t afford cars.
I will be turning 24 soon. What will be my means of transportation? A regular bus pass will cost me $78 per month.
STLCC is a community college that exists to serve students, and Metro is a company that exists to serve people of all ages in the community.
Between Metro’s latest price increases and the recently enforced age restrictions, the masses should be coming together and rising up, but they are crumbling.
A traditional student starts college when he is 18 years old and is expected to graduate before turning 24. But community college students come in all ages.
The decision to return to college or begin attending as an older person is difficult enough. It makes matters worse when low-income students can’t buy semester bus passes at a discount.
I don’t think students should have to pay anything for public transportation. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about coming up with bus money every day or getting to school when their cars break down.
I am really appalled at how Metro is treating its customers like week-old beef. With the age restrictions on semester bus passes, many students are essentially being thrown out of college.
Transportation is key to attendance.
Students like me are being told that we are too old for semester bus passes. But shouldn’t everyone be treated equally?
In my view, all full-time students should be eligible to buy semester passes. Age shouldn’t matter.
A fellow student told me that Metro tried to enforce age restrictions in the past, but the plan failed after students, including those at Forest Park, spoke out against it.
If they were able to stop Metro then, we can stop Metro now.