SamTrans underwent changes to their schedules Jan. 26, adjusting arrival times and stops, as well as eliminating a route that served Skyline students.

Route 123 to Colma BART which has served Skyline students in providing transportation through the surrounding neighborhood of the college has been discontinued. It now takes twice as long for service to Daly City.

The 121 has been adjusted with more frequent service and times to be more accurate; however there have been delays in their arrival times, due to an increase in riders. Routes 140 and 141 have also adjusted their times and stops.

Another change which students may have noticed is with the El Camino Real (ECR) no longer stopping at Milbrae BART, but rather on El Camino, with service now to San Bruno BART instead.

“SamTrans began working on an overhaul of our services two years ago which included public outreach in the SamTrans Service Plan,” Spokesperson for SamTrans Christine Dunn said. “The goal was to improve efficiency and increase ridership.”

According to Dunn, there was a need to improve the services in a way that was budget neutral. To “strike a balance,” similar or duplicate routes were eliminated in order to “increase service to some areas.”

Full-time Skyline students Keyairra Murray and Jazmone Johnson who ride the 121 have encountered frustration with the changes because it hinders their ability to arrive to class on time.

“It’s too long, it goes all the way around, and the buses don’t run back to back when people got to get to school,” Murray said. “This morning I missed my class, I was so upset.”

Johnson commutes from San Francisco via the 121 which has increased her travel time.

“It takes 30 minutes just to get to Serramonte,” said Johnson. “If you miss that you (have) to wait 30 more minutes, and then you get late to class.”

SamTrans has already received negative feedback on the changes made to its services and are pursuing ways to improve going forward.

“We have heard from some people that they aren’t happy with the elimination of the 123, so we are continuing evaluate the situation,” Dunn said. “We can’t make any promises, but we’ll be seeking ideas to identify adjustments for the future.”

Kevin Brown, current SamTrans bus operator of the 121 which serves Skyline, has noticed the “gradual” changes over the just short of 30 years he has been with the company.

“From my position and perspective, I have seen routes that have been affected that I have operated throughout the years,” said Brown. “I have seen the ridership dip dramatically and that is principally the cause, along with some other aspects like on time performance where they have increased the frequency.”

Brown recalls historical routes, such as the existing 122, having more riders. That route, which formally was called the 21a, used to be packed leaving El Camino and Arroyo according to Brown.

“Now you leave with not even ten people,” said Brown.

Since the change, crowding might have students feeling as though they are on a metropolitan transit system, but Brown suggests this could very well be part of a “cycle” that will even itself out.

“It’s crowded,” Skyline student Nathalye Zamora said about the new Skyline routes. “If people with disabilities want to sit down there’s not enough room.”

What Brown proposes that riders do is plan accordingly. Zamora has done just that, and as a result, she arrives two hours before her class. Zamora, who commutes an hour via 141 and 140 to campus, takes an earlier bus to avoid being late.

Maximilian Varela, who rides the 140, has also altered his schedule to accommodate the changes.

“I looked at the times and noticed that the buses come earlier, so I leave my house earlier to get there on time,” Varela said. “There was a point after night class where I felt I had to wait way longer than I’ve had to in the past. But it hasn’t affected me in a bad way. I noticed the last stop used to be Tanforan, and I heard now it goes to El Camino which is more helpful for some.”