Las Vegas, NV
I am 24 years old and was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. My two sisters, two brothers, and I are first generation Ethiopian Americans. Right now, I am finishing up school at Penn State and studying International Politics. I’m looking forward to graduating this December.
I really like to be tied into social justice causes within the community. I’m a Christian, and it’s my faith that really drives me to be involved in community issues. I am incredibly passionate about different social, economic, and racial injustices and am working to pursue fighting these issues within my professional career.
For the past two years, I’ve had a car. But before then, I’ve had bouts of time of not having a car, and relied on taking the bus to get around. Even though I do have a car now, I try to take the bus as often as I can.
I would describe the public transit system here as a system that has a lack of logistics and safety. Unfortunately, the city focuses so much of its attention on development of the Strip and tourism, that it often leaves out the community’s necessities within the transit system. It is disheartening to see that our city, county, and state do not prioritize public transit systems. I believe that public transit is vital for a healthy city and healthy community.
Because Las Vegas is laid out as a grid, it’s relatively easy to navigate the city. It is the perfect place when it comes to how to figure out the bus system. The problem is there is a lack of bus routes, and a lack of frequency. The few buses fill up fairly quickly, to negate this there is an app that states when the next bus is coming. But since not everyone uses the app, many times the bus is fuller than stated. For example, between 5pm and 7pm, Bus Route 202 is constantly full and yet there are no additional routes. It is a great thing that people are using public transit, but it also tells me that we need to run more frequent service.
I have heard constantly of how the lack of reliable transportation impacts people’s employment. When applying for jobs, it is often asked if they have reliable transportation. Although the applicants are going to say yes, it is not 100% reliable. Then a cycle starts where an employee comes into work late. Which leads to a shaky job security and often leads to getting let go.
This topic is increasingly frustrating for the community and there needs to be a drastic change of focus within our legislators as this impacts their constituents.
If I was overseeing our public transit systems in Las Vegas, I would make some improvements starting with the busier bus lines. I would figure out how to add more buses to those routes and that bus stops had proper awnings to keep people in the shade during the summer months. As well as introducing a bus flagging system, so that buses do not potentially miss a ride due to them sitting.
Our city is growing at a rapid rate and instead of investing in a larger freeway to Los Angeles, we need to be investing within the city. Public transportation being a priority as it is a fundamental part of any city. If we neglect it, it will only lead to a rush of more fiscal issues down the road. People can lose their jobs, businesses can struggle to find employees, and we will keep pouring too much money into building more and more roads. Now is the time to invest more in public transit.
Thanks for listening to my story.