It’s easy to say that being a student on Vancouver Island isn’t cheap.

With Vancouver Island University being a commuter school, accessing a ride can be a huge stressor for many students who are already budgeting the general cost of tuition and housing. 

With that in mind, how can anyone afford to own a vehicle and get themselves to class? 

Whether you live in Parksville, Ladysmith, or even further away, the journey itself to the Nanaimo campus can be draining.

If you own a vehicle, the cost of VIU parking adds up to $337 for a 365 day period.

Student semester transit passes cost $176 per semester, adding up to a whopping $528 for the whole year.

Could creating a plan with friends to carpool relieve not only the stress of commuting, but potentially ease the price of gas and parking fees? 

Ella Brown, who recently completed her first year at VIU’s bachelor of arts program, shares that taking her car, Sally, is her choice in transportation. 

“With having my own car, I’m able to sleep in and not have to worry about getting to class on time. It gives me a little more flexibility,” she says. “I have more time to go to the library to study or grab a bite to eat.”

Brown looked further into the cost of taking the bus and concluded that over time, the cost of taking public transit is similar to how much she pays for parking. The benefit and practicality of deciding her own schedule outweigh the extra cost of filling Sally’s tank.

Bussing is another mode of transport for those who live in the city, but it comes with its own set of challenges and limitations.

More often than not, it can be a long walk to the bus stop. Occasionally, transportation is required to even get to the bus stop.

Taking public transportation can be challenging to navigate, especially with the way Nanaimo’s bus routes are set up. It often takes an excessive amount of time to travel short distances, routes are changed regularly with little notice, and sometimes the bus is simply late. 

Chessa Low, who is entering her second year at VIU, says that during the first semester she took the bus to save money, but over time found it to be a bit inconvenient and expensive.

“Personally, some flaws I found with taking the bus mainly had to do with time. As a working student, I found myself constantly being in a rush getting from school to home, and then having to quickly make my way to work upon arrival,” Low shares. “It may seem like an overstatement, but it felt unnecessarily exhausting and time-consuming.”

Some students’ mode of transportation is carpooling. Did you know VIU offers a specific parking lot for carpoolers near building 210?

If you own a vehicle and you have some friends, or friends of friends, who are on the way during your commute, why not pick up some peers on the way?

Bernice Arakal graduated from VIU in 2022 with a BA in Digital Media and has plenty of experience with carpooling to class. Arakal says she did not run into many challenges when carpooling. 

She only highlights the importance in finding a trusted driver and ensuring you navigate carpooling safely. 

“I’ve not had a single bad experience with carpooling. I guess I was lucky,” Arakal explains.

Arakal found that sharing rides saved her close to $600, and she made many more friendships through carpooling Facebook groups. There are multiple carpooling pages dedicated to Vancouver Island and other local areas.

Joining a group might spark some connections and open conversations with other people in your area.

Arakal explains that trusting your gut and setting up a time to meet with your carpooler works for her. 

Creating a foundation for safety should be a top priority—sharing your location with a family member or friend is also an effective way to remain safe.

“I believe that carpooling would really work well at VIU,” Arakal shares.

“There are students who share similar routes and don’t even know it. It’s also a great way to connect with others! Perhaps an app would be cool to help facilitate this.”

Another option for finding a carpooler is downloading Poparide—an application for finding carpooling connections. Though the app is open to the general public and not specific to any institutions, there is an option to sign in with your student email, where you can receive a student discount of five dollars off once you verify.

For students looking to make commuting more affordable, carpooling could be one way to share transportation costs and provide an opportunity to make new friends.

With safety in mind, would students be more inclined to carpool if VIU had an exclusive VIU carpooling system?

Having a moderated space where students could arrange rides to the Nanaimo campus could help ensure safety, increase the number of carpoolers and make carpooling more accessible. 

As a student at VIU myself, I have tried it all.

From taking the bus, driving myself, and sharing rides with friends, I have found they all have benefits and flaws. In the meantime, I will drive my car to class as it seems to work best for me.

What intrigues me the most when it comes to commuting is the community of student carpoolers in need of an improved system to make carpooling safer, easier, and more accessible. 

Having that system set up could help more students get to class without carrying the full cost of the journey alone.