[nabs-l] Taking Public Transportation from a College Campus

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi Vejas,

For me, I know my para-transit provider requires a specific address.
Sometimes the dorms or buildings will have addresses, and I've found
that information by just going to the front desk if all else fails.
Usually, if they are addressed, a desk worker should be able to tell
you what you need to know if that information is not found online.  My
dorm freshman year had its own address since it was on a little side
street, but the one I'm in this year does not so I give the dispatcher
the address of the college and tell them the dorm name with some
landmarks and instructions on how to get there, along with my phone
number so the driver can call if they have to. For Oober, I just
search the name of the building in the app and it pops up.  The driver
and I have a way to contact each other if they're having trouble
finding my building, and usually they don't hesitate to call if they
need to find me.  If I see they've been hanging around close by for a
while I'll usually text them and ask if they're finding where they
need to go okay or if they would like me to give them some landmarks
or directions.  That's a really useful feature of the app.  For taxis
I usually say I'm on the university campus, near the intersection of X
and Y.  I can then tell them from that intersection to make a left and
go down to the dead end, and the dorm I'm in will be on their right.
Again, if they're really having trouble finding me or I suspect that
is the case, I call the dispatcher as they have a way to talk to the
driver en route, and sometimes the driver will get my number from the
dispatcher and call me.  Communication and being aware of the time it
should take for a vehicle to reach you is key.

If possible, try to learn some public transportation routes around
your campus.  I've just recently found reason to regularly travel
off-campus and started riding buses again after a long time of
sticking around campus propper, but wish I would have started riding
sooner.  Public transportation doesn't give me half the headaches I
experience with paratransit, nor is it nearly as costly as Oober or
cab fare.  Some cities will offer insentives for paratransit users to
ride fixed routes, and an added perk in my city is that since I have a
Project Mobility card for paratransit I can ride the city buses for
free.  While some might view this as a hand-out, I don't personally
have a problem with it as I'm contributing over twice the standard
fare every time I do take paratransit, and this program is designed to
get more paratransit users to use fixed routes so paratransit rides
aren't so congested.  Regardless of that, sometimes they'll also have
discounted fare for frequent riders that anyone can take advantage of.

I hope this helps.

On 9/24/16, Karl Martin Adam via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Vejas,
>
> You can also find the address to tell the driver or dispatcher.
> Any smart phone with is capable of doing this--if you have an
> IPhone, just ask Siri "where am I?"  Campus parking lots are
> usually numbered or named, so it would probably be a good idea to
> ask someone what the lot you like to get picked up from is called
> so you can tell the dispachor that.  There are usually signs
> telling drivers which way to go to different lots as they drive
> around, and campus maps will have the lots marked for sure but
> probably won't have the Jamba Juice.
>
> HTH,
> Karl
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: Vejas via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 13:18:13 -0700
> Subject: [nabs-l] Taking Public Transportation from a College
> Campus
>
> Hi All,
> I was wondering, how these of you who take taxis/Uber/Lyft or any
> other form of transportation explain to the driver your location
> of pickup, seeing that a college campus has so many entrances.
> For example, the entrance I would prefer to use in my college is
> the parking lot near  Jamba Juice. This seems simple enough, but
> it puts the responsibility on the driver to search the entire
> college campus to find Jamba Juice. When I was an LCB student, I
> was in such a small town that I typically never had to explain
> locations, since the cab drivers there know the town well. But in
> asking for public transportation in other areas, I have found
> that dispatchers expect you to know the a.ress , so for example
> saying I'm at Subway on Main Street would not be enough, and they
> often seem to act like going into the computer system to quickly
> search the address is too much work for them.
> Thanks,
> Vejas
> _______________________________________________
> NABS-L mailing list
> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for NABS-L:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/kmaent1%40gma
> il.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> NABS-L mailing list
> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> NABS-L:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Kaiti Shelton