Transportation fair hopes to drive up student interest in ridesharing

UCLA Transportation will host a fair Thursday in Bruin Plaza that will encourage students to carpool and use public transportation.

The Rideshare Month Fair will give students information about transportation methods other than driving, such as vanpooling or bicycling, said Jeff Olschwang, Bruin Commuter Services manager. The fair will start at 10 a.m. and end at 2 p.m.

“We’ll be asking students to pledge to try an alternative means of transportation during the month,” Olschwang said.

Transportation staff members and public transportation officials will provide informational flyers and answer questions about carpooling and other transportation at the fair, he added. The fair will also have a raffle for attendees to win prizes.

Transportation spokesperson Alison Hewitt said the campus is trying to increase the number of students using alternative transportation by providing reduced parking rates for carpoolers and discounted bus passes. She added the campus encourages ridesharing to decrease the campus’ carbon footprint and traffic.

[Related: New BruinTAP card system allows access to two transportation systems]

Christian Ramirez, a third-year history student who commutes from Anaheim, said he takes the Metrolink, Metro train and bus to campus.

Ramirez said he thinks students can save money by using public transportation to commute instead of living closer to campus where rent is more expensive. He added he would like to see more people carpool or take the bus or subway to help the environment and alleviate traffic.

Irene Popp, a first-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said she would attend the fair to learn more about Los Angeles’ transit system.

“I’m from New Jersey, where I use a lot of public transportation like the Metro and buses, so I would be really interested in learning more about the opportunities for public transportation in LA,” Popp said.