Close to Home: Public transit for those who need it most

Don’t we all want to see our kids make it?

I have hope for a bright future; that future will be in the hands of the youth we have today.

It took me seven years to return to a school campus after I graduated from high school to continue my education. With a lot of strategy, hard work and a little luck I am currently a full-time student at Sonoma State University. Going back to school meant making sacrifices, which included cinching my already tight budget.

Coming from a low-income family, I realized early on that I would have to plan every penny while going to college. Expenses such as rent, utilities, gas, insurance and groceries add up. At the darkest times, my education was in jeopardy from financial constants. So when I first heard about the opportunity to ride the Sonoma County bus for free, I was elated.

I have an old and unreliable car; between gas and upkeep, it was a large expense that I had to maintain to get to Sonoma State from my home in Santa Rosa. Because money was so tight, I could not reasonably pay for a bus pass in addition to maintaining my car. So I chose the car because I determined that, in an emergency or a job or volunteer opportunity, the car would allow me the flexibility I needed. Meanwhile, that poor car took a hit driving to and from Santa Rosa to Rohnert Park every day. My access to the free public transportation was a godsend.

As with any good thing, I wanted others to experience this opportunity as well. As I reflected on this, two things happened. First, I recalled when I was a teenager in high school. I thought about living in rural Sebastopol and relying on the Sonoma County bus as a means to get from high school to my after-?school job to help support my family, and to extracurricular activities. Second, friends were coming up to me and asking for details on how their kids could use the program as well.

Currently, the free bus passes are only extended to college students and veterans. It is also a pilot program that will end. But it doesn’t have to. It will remain in effect if voters approve Measure A in Tuesday’s election.

This is a great program that needs to flourish in our community. It also needs to be extended to the rest of our youth. Our teenagers want this. They want to get to their after-school jobs and extracurricular activities. I’ve seen it.

As a teenager, my family was privileged enough to afford a bus pass for me. Some families can’t, but that does not mean they shouldn’t have access to it. Free bus passes will allow our youth to get to activities and have access to opportunities that they may otherwise not have without free ridership.

Furthermore, it does more than help people in our community. It helps the environment as well. Ridership has gone up since the pilot program began. Fewer cars on the roads means fewer gas emissions and less road erosion.

With Measure A, I know with confidence that I will support it. I know because 10 percent of the budget is targeted for public transit. This will be an investment in our youth and our future.

With Measure A, we can easily extend free ridership to the ones who need it most. Sonoma County kids are our kids. I want to give my kids everything they need to succeed.

Pamela Kipp Wentzel is a Santa Rosa resident who graduated from El Molino High School in 2005. She is now a student at Sonoma State University.