Need to go shopping or visit downtown and don’t have a car? No problem 👻! After three years of going to school here, I think I know a couple of things about Binghamton University’s public transportation. So buckle in and I’ll drop some knowledge onto you newcomers (or old heads too cause I know some of y’all who would benefit from such information too).
Binghamton University has a couple of bus systems: OCCT, BC Transit, campus buses, and Escape Buses. We’re mainly going to focus on the OCCT and BC Transit, though. To start off, OCCT buses are the blue buses that are completely student driven and meant for students to use. All you need to do is tap your student ID to get on. These are the ones with the funny letter acronyms like WS, DCL, DS, UDC, etc. Next up are the BC Transit buses. These buses are open to the public, but students can ride them for free with a swipe of their student ID. They’re the larger white buses, usually labeled with numbers like 5, 15, 35, 47, etc. They’re bigger and they actually have air conditioning (sometimes), unlike the OCCT buses. Then we have the Escape Buses, which are mainly used to go back home during breaks. If Escape buses aren’t your thing, there are other options like Greyhound, FlixBus, OurBus, etc. These are usually cheaper if you buy tickets in advance, but one perk of the Escape buses is that they’ll pick you up directly from campus since they’re affiliated with the university. Or, you can feel free to hitch a ride from a lucky friend who can drive you back for something 😃. Sorry for my people who use air travel. Planes are not my forte ✈️.
Now let’s address the elephant in the room. I know about the faults within our bus system. Some problems include buses not showing up on time (or at all), the quality of the buses (why does it feel like I’m on a roller coaster sometimes?), and seating capacity (especially during peak hours when everyone’s trying to get to campus or go home) SOOO.
Here are a few survival tips from someone who’s been through it:
For the OCCT, you can check their website for the schedule and download the bus app (SPOT) to see when and where the buses are. It’s not perfect, but it’ll give you an idea of where the bus stations are. For the BC Transit buses, I use Google Maps to see which of those buses I can use to get to where I need to go. Another big tip: leave earlier than you think you need to. Even though they’re usually late, it’s better safe than sorry ‘cause once the one you were going to get on leaves, you’re going to have to wait another 30 minutes to an hour for the next one 😨. Peak times are real. Sometimes it becomes a real fight to get on the bus. However, be patient and be kind. Don’t be the person who skipped past me on the bus line just so you can get to your house party downtown leaving me stranded until the next bus. It’s 12 a.m., I’m trying to go home bro please just let me go 😭.
Despite all its faults, I’m still an advocate of public transportation because when it works well, it really works. It saves money, reduces traffic congestion and pollution, improves community health, and promotes social equity by giving everyone a way to get around. Plus, there’s something kind of comforting about zoning out on the bus, headphones in, watching buildings roll by as you’re hanging on for dear life onto a metal bar like the bus won’t shake you off of it in a couple of seconds.
Quick side note: I’m from New York City, so I’m used to taking public transportation. I don’t know where you’re from, so maybe you’re not used to it yet. The first few rides might feel confusing, awkward, or slightly chaotic but trust me, you’ll get the hang of it. Eventually you’ll learn how to wake up from your nap the moment your stop is coming up, which bus driver is the chillest and why the front of the bus is superior to the back.
So now that I’ve taught you all I know about Bing’s bus systems, I hope you don’t end up downtown when you’re trying to get to Walmart or get stranded at the Union at 11:47 p.m. questioning your life choices. And if you do? Congrats! You’re officially a Binghamton student now for better or for worse 😛. Now that I think about it, you could just order an Uber 🤷. Or just use a map. And if you’re directionally challenged? Welp … GOOD LUCK 😅!
Andy Huang
Event Coordinator
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