NEed a lyft? us too!

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By Lee Madsen, Lauren Cardinale, & Amanda Milera 
Visiting Columnists 

What does effective transportation mean to you? For a college student with a busy class schedule and limited transportation options, getting on and off campus easily is a game changer, especially in a secluded area. Saint Mary’s paid for a Lyft Pass for six academic school years, but unfortunately, this recent 2024-2025 academic year, they had to discontinue it due to low funding. After gauging the student body's perspective, it appears that students have expressed disappointment in this decision. Staff insights show how the school is trying to find a new, more affordable way to accommodate its students’ need for inexpensive and accessible transportation. 
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The Lyft Pass, which was available to students, staff, and faculty members from 2017 to 2024, took a maximum of $13 off of each ride to or from campus, covering 22 rides per month. Parking fees were introduced in 2017 to fund the program, but post-pandemic, fewer students and employees purchasing permits led to funding shortages. Students have expressed disappointment at this decision since they now have an added expense, and a rather pricey one too. Fortunately, Saint Mary’s just hired a new Executive Director for Campus Safety and Transportation who is now negotiating with rideshare companies for a better deal.


Vice President for Student Life Jim Sciuto explained that the discontinuation of the Lyft Pass was purely a financial decision; the school was “paying over $350,000 a year to Lyft to subsidize,” and Lyft “gave [them] no discount, they gave [them] no free rides, and it was pure profit for Lyft without giving [them] anything in return.” Although students saw benefits, Sciuto emphasized that the program was a monetary loss for the college. However, he noted that the county bus service is free for students: “Oftentimes students don’t realize that you just have to show your ID and you can jump on the bus and get to and from.” The bus schedule is available on the County Connection website, traveling daily throughout Central Contra Costa County.

According to CBS8, gas prices are predicted to rise due to a lower supply of gas in 2025. Additionally, Kelley Blue Book, a website dedicated to evaluating the quality and cost of cars, claims that new vehicle prices are at an all-time high. As the costs of gas and vehicles rise, so does the need for affordable and accessible transportation. Students have expressed that the Lyft Pass’ discontinuation came as a shock, as there was no prior communication about it. SDS Director Julie Scaff has also shared that some students with disabilities have communicated concerns about accessible transportation with her after learning of the Lyft Pass’ discontinuation. Unfortunately, she expressed that it can be tricky to effectively provide students with up-to-date information: “Most of the communication is through email, so we have to hope and trust that people will read their email.”


Students Cerys Price, Will Ahrens, and Margaret Hamlin expressed disappointment over the loss of the Lyft Pass. Hamlin, a second-year out-of-state student from Oregon, said that “it kind of felt like a slap in the face, especially when the school convinced a lot of parents to not let freshmen bring cars and then they took away a vital mode of transportation.” Her frustration highlights miscommunication between the school and the student body. As an employee of SDS working under Julie Scaff, she added that there are many athletes with concussions who are unable to drive. Other disabilities also impact many students’ ability to drive, thus making them depend on their parents to get to places such as the doctor’s office.

Jim Sciuto revealed that after some analysis, the school concluded that Lyft Pass usage was primarily for late-night trips, commonly to BART: “Probably means sober driving and stuff, which is fantastic. But again, we decided to keep the bus because that one is cheaper. It’s about $30,000 a year that we’re paying for the bus, and it’s from to and from campus.” Luckily, the County Connection bus is here to stay, and it is completely free for students. Despite student frustration, Saint Mary’s remains committed to finding a solution. So we encourage you to lyft your chin up; good news might be on the horizon.