In the daily commute to school, many students take public transportation in an effort to both help the environment and avoid the stress of traffic and parking. But the inconsistency of MUNI buses and SF State shuttles threaten efforts to keep transportation green.

Woody Hastings, a student assistant in the environmental studies department who rides the bus, said that by reducing the fuel use per person, public transportation has enormous benefits for the environment. However, he said that the service is unreliable.

“Public transportation is a wonderful thing when it works well, but when [it becomes a hassle], it’s discouraging and people don’t want to take it,” he said.

Tom Franco, a science and engineering technician at SF State, rides the 28L bus to BART on his way home to Pleasanton, citing the long drive, excessive gas, and heavy gridlock as his reasons. But Franco is also dissatisfied with the bus lines.

“The bus service is terrible,” he said. “It’s inconsistent, they need more buses. I have no choice [but to wait] because I live too far away.”

The shuttles supplied by SF State have proved to also be unreliable, causing long lines and a longer wait. Kara Rothenberg, 22, has a car, but takes public transit from the East Bay because of “ridiculous” parking and traffic. Yet she is fed up with these sporadic shuttles to the Daly City BART station.

“Usually people can’t fit,” said the physiology major regarding the mass of commuters waiting in the mid-afternoon. “[The shuttles] should run more frequently.”

The Department of Parking and Traffic has reduced the number of shuttle stops from 8 to 3 on October 1, advertising that this will reduce the wait time for shuttles to 10 or 15 minutes.

Yet despite these erratic services, some people have found ways to avoid both frustrating public transit and polluting cars.

Krishna Shastry, a 26-year-old anthropology major, often rides his bike to school. Though Shastry owns a car, he said exercise, saving time and money, and helping the environment are reasons not to drive.

“I only use my car to go home,” said the Santa Cruz native.

Kathleen Duffy, a lecturer in the counseling department, has made major transportation sacrifices for the environment.

“Reduce that carbon footprint,” she said of biking—her preferred transportation method since 1975—once a week from her home in the Mission. She uses public transit the rest of the time.

Duffy, who is a Bike Coalition member and Critical Mass frequenter, gave her car to City CarShare, a nonprofit Bay Area organization that allows people to rent cars in an attempt to help the environment by reducing individual car ownership.

“It’s hard to get people out of their cars, but once you’re out there’s no going back,” she said.