At Preuss, more than half of the students use the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) as their main mode of transportation to get to school and back home. Many students even use public transportation during their free time to hang out with friends. The main mode of transportation is the trolley. Students spend an estimated 30 minutes to an hour one way and an hour back. 

Over the past few months, there has been a slight increase in the amount of homeless people who camp at trolleys or bus stops. Some of them even set up their carts and various bags inside the elevators at trolleys, preventing people from using the elevators. This creates traffic congestion and is a great concern for parents, teachers, and students because all Preuss students who are taking public transportation use the trolley frequently, where the great majority of homeless people camp. 

Ms. Bandy, the College and Career Advisor at Preuss states, “I think that the trolleys are an advantage for field trips, but, also, I believe that many students have experienced very unsafe situations which is a huge downside to the use of public transportation.”

There has been an increase in violence on the trolleys such as possession of weapons, fights, and people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Many students at Preuss have experienced a moment where one of the scenarios listed occurred, causing the student to feel unsafe. This is especially dangerous because MTS has no control over what is going on all the time meaning they cannot 100% ensure safety. 

Some parents have been afraid to let their children ride the trolley to school because of the potential dangerous scenarios. This is a big problem since they don’t want to lose the opportunity of their student(s) attending  Preuss. This transportation is the only way for students who live far from Preuss to get to school as most parents have to work early in the morning. The school needs to find a solution to the dangerous trolley conditions because it could get worse in the future. 

The trolley has also become much more filthy. I have noticed a great increase of bugs, especially cockroaches and spiders on the trolley, which is mainly due to riders eating and drinking on the trolley. It is truly disgusting and a large issue as it is not as easy to fix due to the amount of trolley carts and lack of workers.

I understand how difficult it is for Preuss to find transportation for their students, but there needs to be a safer option because these students need to be protected.