I just had some friends visit from a different school, and one thing they thought was so cool about our campus was the fact that we took a bus to get places. Having the Cambus is really great in order to get around on campus. However, it can also be really frustrating, especially if you are a freshman living in the west side residence halls. We all know the struggle of riding the Cambus at times.
Stage 1: Bongo
This is where all of your troubles begin. Bongo is a nifty little iPhone/Android app that will tell you exactly what bus will be at what stop and at what time. However, Bongo is notorious for being inaccurate with their timing, rendering it unreliable and ultimately pretty useless.
Stage 2: The Wait
Depending on how cold it is and what stop you’re at, your experience during this stage will differ from day to day. For example, if you’re at the Slater stop on a weekday morning, chances are you’re not alone. So many other students are trying to get across the river at the exact same time as you. In this stage, you’re secretly eyeing up everyone else and strategically planning how exactly you will be one of the first ones on the bus.
Stage 3: The Arrival
This is when you see the big black and yellow bus from a distance, and everyone moves closer to the spot where they think the it is going to stop. This is also the point where, if you’re like me, your claustrophobia goes through the roof. You suddenly have a million different people crammed in a tiny space, yet you’re still outside.
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Stage 4: Moving Back
After everyone pushes and passive-aggressively tries to be the first one on the bus, you are finally on. You’re behind the yellow line, guaranteed a spot, and you will get to your destination in hopefully less than ten minutes. Everything is perfect until the bus driver shouts, “Move back!” and everyone decides to push AGAIN.
Stage 5: The Launch
I call this the launch because that’s the most accurate way I could describe it. When the bus driver finally leaves the stop, everyone is thrown into a temporary frenzy. Make sure you’re holding onto something, because if you’re not sitting down, chances are you may fall on someone.
Stage 6: The Awkwardness
Don’t even lie and say that you haven’t had an awkward encounter on the Cambus. Maybe you’ve seen someone you vaguely remember from orientation, but don’t say anything. Maybe you see that girl you’ve creeped on on Instagram a million times before, but she has no idea who you are. This campus is smaller than one would think, so awkward encounters are inevitable.
Stage 7: Final Destination
Finally! You’re at your last stop. After pushing through the crowd, you’re finally off the bus and walking again. You can breathe. You don’t feel squished. You swear to yourself that you’re not getting back on a bus any time soon, but in reality, you’ll be back in the same situation in an hour or so.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Cambus. It’s a great time saver and can get me places difficult to walk to, but we’ve all experienced a cold winter day where the bus is so crowded you can’t even move. How we handle it all the time is beyond me.