“When’s our Hopskip coming? Can you give me a ride home today? When are your parents coming?” These are all questions that can be heard after the last bell of the school day. While many students either take the school bus or drive home, some Cubs have to look at different options.
One of these potential options is public transportation through the Metro GoPass, a program that provides free bus and train rides to students at participating schools. Although Loyola is not a participating school, its involvement in this program would greatly benefit our student community in countless ways.
First, to address the value of our school’s participation in the program, we can look at how it would immediately benefit our students. As previously mentioned, many students utilize the Metro system to get home after school, such as Tyler Conti ’27. Conti said, “I use the Metro every day to get home. It allows my parents to work and take care of their responsibilities without worrying about picking me up from school.”
On top of this benefit, being able to take public transportation also gives Cubs the opportunity to develop independence and develop as young men. This independence further helps busy parents by taking the stress of transportation off of their shoulders. Much of this parental stress can come during off-hours, such as after practices or half days. Track and field athlete Daelan Baldoman ‘28 shared, “The option to take the bus helps my parents out significantly. My parents work a little ways away from school and taking the bus to their work allows them to not have as long of a drive if they picked me up from school and then went home.”
While the aforementioned benefits are clearly significant and of value, the ability to take free transportation around Los Angeles is an exciting opportunity for all those who don’t want to drive. It enables people to explore LA’s many neighborhoods and its diverse community, further adding to our holistic high school education.
Speaking about a bus trip to Little Tokyo with his fellow Cubs, Zachary Bloss ‘27 commented, “Taking the Metro with my friends after school was one of my greatest experiences at Loyola. For those of us who can’t drive yet, it opened up a lot of the city and gave us a sense of independence like no other. Moreover, I think this would be a good incentive for us to use the more climate friendly and easily accessible public transport our city offers.”
Although taking public transportation has many advantages, some may argue that there are genuine concerns regarding Los Angeles’ Metro system. Safety concerns include a rise in crime, drug use and homelessness on the system. While these factors may look intimidating at the surface level, they offer a chance for growth and development for Loyola students.
Seeing these challenges in our city causes us to contemplate the social issues present in our society and adapt to our environment by acting in an intelligent and cautious manner. Baldoman ’28 added, “When taking public transportation, I make sure that I am always alert of my surroundings and I that I am paying attention to what is going on around me. I constantly make sure that I have my bags with me at all times and that I am prepared for when my bus stop is called.”
Loyola should participate in the Metro GoPass program, as it would greatly benefit a large group of the Cub community. Although not every student utilizes the transportation system as a necessity, facilitating this change at Loyola would expedite the development and growth of all Loyola Cubs.