Okay, this is Built for Cars, Banned for Bikes and I'm Yashko here.
Last episode I argued with how people get around a campus and how that is decided by
what got built long before any of them arrived.
The problem with an argument like that is very hard to test.
You can't take one post and put them in two different cities and watch what they do.
Except a university does that constantly and calls it an exchange year.
My guest today spent his last year here and came from a city in Italy.
He's going to introduce himself and where he comes from.
So if you would like to introduce your scenario, please.
Yeah, sure.
My name is Alessandro.
I come from Venice, Italy and I spent last year as an exchange student at UC San Diego.
And yeah, that's it for me.
I studied business econ over there and then right now I'm back home in Venice and I started
working.
So if you could please tell the audience like which cities you've been in Italy and like,
how do you like spend your day at UCSD and how you do you go about in terms of commuting,
that'd be great.
Okay, sure.
So, well, okay.
I originally come from Venice, but I've been all around Italy and I kind of had the chance
to experience the various forms of micromobility in different Italian cities where we mostly,
mostly commute by, I would say by bus and by bike, not rented bikes, like your own bike usually.
And only, only recently they, the government started like, you know, introducing some rented
bikes, rented services.
And, you know, some people started using that.
I didn't personally use those rented bikes as a micromobility way of commuting until I came
to the US and at UCSD, I was constantly using spin to mostly to commute to class.
But not only, not only for, I don't know, I was going out with friends in the city center
and I was using that.
I was, I really, really used a lot, a lot, the spin subscript.
I also had a subscription and yeah, I used it every day, every single day.
So, did you, the bikes that you mentioned in like Italy, did you like, hold them on a lease
or did it, was it the same system as spin or like, what are the differences that you observed
over your past year?
I would say, no, it's, it's pretty much the same, the same system.
You, you can have a, you know, a subscription and then a pay as you go type of, of, of bill
on top of the subscription that you pay.
So it's, it's really similar.
Okay.
So is there like any difference in terms of like infrastructure that you've noticed because
given the fact that you're in this like unique spot where you spend like three years
in a university in Italy and then like one year at UCSD, you also happen to have like a lot
of understanding of the Italian universities for instance.
or like, I believe you studied in a different country than Italy actually.
So, um, if you'd like to introduce, uh, like wherever you did your education from that'd be
very helpful for the viewers.
Yes, sure.
Um, so I did my, the first, actually the first two years of my bachelor, um, in, uh, France
near, near Paris.
The, the city is a small city called, um, um, and, um, and over there I didn't actually
see any, any rented bikes.
Uh, there, I guess there weren't there yet.
So it's a small city.
So probably in Paris, there were already those, those kinds of, of bikes of rented services.
Um, and then in fact spent my, my last and third year of, of my bachelor's degree at UCSD.
Uh, what course were you pursuing during this, uh, entire three years?
Yeah, uh, the course was, uh, was economics actually like, uh, uh, political economics.
And, and, but then, you know, I sort of focused on, on, on business econ just for, for my exchange
here.
Have you also like ever like, uh, owned a bike yourself other than the ones that you rented
in Italy and the ones that you used as spin in US?
Yes, I, I did own, uh, I did own several bikes, uh, well, both at home and, and during
my studies there, there in France, I, I actually bought, I guess, two or three, uh, two or three
bikes because you know, uh, the, the first two got stolen, uh, and, and, uh, I, I owned
my, my bikes, let's say in, uh, in France that, that for sure.
Um, instead in the US, I just used, uh, I just used rented bikes, maybe because of the,
the short period I was there.
I mean, it's not that short, but you know, like nine, just what?
Uh, three quarters.
Um, but no, no, I never bought my own bike in the US.
Uh, it's funny that you mentioned like, um, theft has like the reason of buying like new
bikes constantly because like, that was one of the thesis of our projects is like theft
is like something that is like actively prohibiting like the, um, like the growth of the micro-mobility
culture in the States that like every single time a bike gets stolen, like more and more
people like get like, like really, um, uh, feel really like, um, out of this like whole
situation that like, they don't really want to like, um, get into this like micro-mobility
culture because they would spend like more eventually than they do like renting.
And then like, they would also have to like engage with the charging infrastructure.
So would you, would you say that like, this is the reason that you, that you tend to like
rent more than own because you've experienced loss yourself?
Like, is that one of the primary reasons like making you rent more lately or like?
I guess, I guess, yes.
And that's, that's a very good point.
Uh, when I think of, you know, owning my own, uh, let's say my, my electric bike or electric
scooter, which is a very, very like useful and, um, sort of very comfortable way to, to commute
around town for, for micro-mobility purposes.
I'm actually put off from, from doing that by, by the risk of, of theft.
Like in my place, like here in Italy, it's virtually impossible not to get, uh, your scooter
or bike stolen, uh, if you don't have a lock and if you don't park it in a very, very safe
area in certain, you know, uh, times of the day, uh, as for the, as for UCSD, well, I didn't
actually have the need, but, um, I guess talking to, talking to friends and hearing them, their
stories, uh, the, the risk of theft was, was, uh, let's say a concrete one.
And, uh, so I would have probably thought a lot before, uh, purchasing my, my own bike
or my, my own scooter, um, at UCSD.
If I, you know, if I've been to, to stay there for, for, uh, I don't know, a few years.
So economics was like one of the major reasons, like renting for you felt cheaper, like over
the course of like those nine months over the headache of like ownership.
Okay.
Uh, has charging played a role in like this whole scenario?
Like, have you ever interacted with the charging infrastructure at UCSD or like, if you've
like used, like your friends, like the unmotorized bikes, so to speak, like there's also like
infrastructure there to like, uh, fill up gas in your bike tires.
So have you ever interacted with those at UCSD or like any other like college campus in the
state?
And how would you rate your experience?
And like, um, like if that has affected your like, um, view views towards like ownership
of a micro-multi device?
Well, so I, I, I didn't actually have, uh, uh, direct experience with the, the charging
infrastructure at UCSD.
Um, I just know of some friends.
I don't actually know if that's, that's allowed who, who charged their own vehicles at their
places on campus.
Uh, I don't know which plug, which plug they used, uh, frankly, um, but I guess it's, uh,
I guess it's an important, uh, an important factor to consider where you're, where and how,
and I don't know how expensive, uh, it's going to be to charge your, your vehicle once you already,
you know, uh, invested the money to purchase it.
And, uh, I guess, yes, I guess that's it for, for charging like, uh, yeah, for this topic,
I guess.
Do you, what do you, what do you think is like the, uh, primary reason that like people charge
in their like apartments over like some like specific, like dedicated charging spots?
Like, have you ever seen a dedicated charging spot or like, it's like the lack of those like
driving people to charge in their like spots or like, what would you think?
Because I know that there are like, uh, parking spots on campus.
So like, is there like, are there like no charging spots in those parking locations?
Or like, what are those only meant for like the traditional bikes with like no motors whatsoever?
Like, uh, if, if you know anything about that.
You know what?
I don't actually recall seeing, uh, one of those charging spots for, for like electric vehicles
specifically.
So maybe that's, that's a sign.
That's an indicator of, uh, sort of, uh, not the absence, but like the rarity or the scarcity
of, of these places, this, this, you know, this sort of charging infrastructure.
And to answer your question about why I think like people would, you know, uh, charge their,
their vehicles at home.
Um, I guess, yeah, for sure.
You know, the, the fact of, you know, the comfort and yes, convenience, uh, plays a big,
big role.
And, you know, if I were to own my own vehicle, it would be a huge, a huge, you know, pain during,
during my days, you know, um, taking, taking it upstairs and it's, they're usually very heavy.
And, uh, so that's, that's probably one of the reasons.
I mean, looking from like my experience at UCSDI personally, uh, face the situation that
you're talking about, I used to live in like one of those, like, um, short of like, like
tall enough buildings that they do require you to take their spin upstairs.
Like if you like, not, not spin, but like a personally owned, like micro mobility scooter,
but like, um, but like not tall enough that they, uh, warranted the need for like an elevator.
So like, I did not have the elevator to like take the scooter upstairs with me easily
and like charge it in my dorm, but like, uh, there was also no like charging infrastructure
in those, like all of those, like, um, bike metal locker places where they have like those
like Q rods coming out of the ground or like in a, in a like dedicated room.
So like, that's why I was stuck with this like option of like renting a micro mobility device
rather than like having the option to like actually have the ownership.
One of my suite mates at the time, like had like a removable battery bike.
So he was able to get around with it.
He just like dragged the battery upstairs with him, charged it and then like
brought it back up.
So he had like two of the batteries and rotation, but, um, I've personally felt the
pinch that like there, there's not enough like charging infrastructure nearby for ownership
to actually make sense.
But like, um, if you were in one of those buildings, which are like you says you're
always makes like the ones like, uh, equipped with elevators nowadays, like the hype at all,
like 15 sorry buildings, for instance.
So, um, uh, would you like, did you ever like consider like if you were in one of those
buildings, were you in one of those buildings?
Like, uh, or did your building not available?
No, no, no, no.
Actually I was in I house.
So no tow buildings, but I know lots of friends that who lived in those sort of flats, uh, like
yeah, tow buildings.
Have you ever heard about those?
Like, um, like scooters that you take on a lease.
So like on spin, you usually have like, um, like a day long thing or like a pay, pay as
you go thing.
But like, there's also scooters that you can like own for like a month on a, on a rent basis
or like, uh, like you can pay like $50 a month or like $60 a month.
And then you just like keep it and like use as much as you want.
Have you ever heard of those?
I didn't actually know of this option.
No.
Okay.
Would if you, if you knew about that and then like the, because like, then you don't really
have to pay the upfront amount for like the $600, like $700 scooter.
Would it make it like more likely for you to like adopt?
Because like we talked about how like economics of it, like did not make sense for you because
you were on a short stay there.
So like, uh, because like now if you talk about like $60 a month, that comes out to be
like $2 per day.
But if you take like spin back and forth, you can easily accumulate like $4 to $5 of spend
a day.
So like the economics do shift in your behavior.
So like, would that have made more sense for you and made you adopt micro mobility a lot
more than you did?
Like not micro mobility per se, but like it's like persistent, like, because, uh, if you
do use that, like, um, like leasing option for a month, I also think like the, like the
usage would have gone up a lot because then you don't really have any incremental cost of
like using it all the time.
So like, what are your views on this?
I would agree on the point that, uh, I would have used that, that leased vehicle way more
because, uh, uh, you know, I would have been concerned with it, with the incremental
costs, but, um, I would also, yes, I, I'd also like to, and to do, you know, to, to specify
that, um, I would have probably been careful, um, about which, which lease, lease option to
choose.
Uh, and I would have probably looked into the, the kind of purchasing terms to see if there's
any, I don't know, insurance costs to pay in case of theft or, uh, yeah, what, what happens
if my, my vehicle gets stolen and if I'm covered, if I have to pay for that, uh, if, if, if so
all the, all the purchasing conditions, I would have been very, very careful to choose that.
And I guess it's, it's sort of, that's a burden as well, you know, sort of decision making
fatigue, uh, among your, your lease and options.
Because you get like this, like responsibility up front that like, you have to like manage
every like thing around it.
Like if it gets lost, like how do you like manage the extra expense or like, does it get
charged to you?
Like the full amount of scooter and like all of that.
But like, if it's been like your ride-ins and your responsibility ends right there.
Yeah, exactly.
And then I, I, I also guess you, um, you know, there, there's lots of exchange students
on campus and cause, and I, I guess, and also in general international students, you have
to put, you know, uh, put yourself in the shoes of those students who already pay, um, a lot
just to be in the U S, uh, um, you know, health insurance, accommodation, uh, all the, you
know, living expenses, et cetera.
And, you know, you always try to, to, to cut and optimize costs and, and probably pick
the safest options.
So I guess I'm just saying there's a lot of, of, uh, of carefulness and consideration when
you have to make other purchasing, purchasing options or leasing options.
So did you ever like, um, happen to use the bus often or like, because there's like a bus
that takes you around UCSD and did using that like impact your usage of micro mobility and
like, actually, you know, I, I totally hated taking the bus just because, okay, it's, I, I
remember it's, it was pretty, pretty frequent.
So that's a good, that's a bonus.
Uh, but just, you know, I, I was often in a, in a hurry and, you know, try, try to really
optimize time from one class to another, or, you know, uh, one commitment to another.
So there's no comparison, uh, between how, how convenient a scooter or a bike is compared
to, to a bus, which takes you, yeah, takes you to the stop and then, you know, and also
like it, it doesn't run every single time.
And also, I, I guess I, I can't remember the, the hours, uh, that, that buses run on campus,
but, um, I mean, you know, uh, you, you can always take a spin even at 2am.
Uh, so yeah.
Yeah.
So like, uh, I feel like with the, like all of those like community resources where you
have like buses and like metros and all of that, I feel like the major drawback with those,
um, is like the time constraint, as you said, like, um, like that of the UCSD like bus schedule,
like it runs from 6am to like 10pm on weekdays and then it does not run on weekends at all.
So like, um, so like, I, I believe like that is also like another major reason that like
people need more micro mobility adoption because those like public transports like do help.
And I think like they're genuinely like the best option, like for, uh, in terms of like
climate conservation, like if you have like electric buses on campus, but, but I definitely
feel like for those like edge cases where you have to travel one mile and like the bus
doesn't go there, like micro mobility is the solution to that.
And like, if you just use a car instead, you would have, you would like pollute the environment
much more and like have like a lot more to like take on.
Like, like if you rent an account, it would be like a hell of a lot more expensive.
So like, uh, even in like, uh, even in terms of like finances, I feel like micro mobility
makes sense in those scenarios, but yeah.
Um, so you mentioned that you owned a personal vehicle, like the personal micro mobility device
in Italy.
Um, so did you ever like, uh, was there ever like a test licensing or like, did you ever
like buy insurance for it?
Did you ever like register it anywhere?
Or did you just like, uh, get it from like a local shop and be done with it?
Like what was the experience?
It's like the last option you mentioned.
I just got it from, from a local shop, no insurance, no, no license, licensing costs or whatever.
Um, uh, and I, I just, I just use it.
If it gets stolen, it's, it's my problem and no, nobody else's.
Um, and that's why I have a pretty, pretty, uh, robust lock to protect it.
And I, you know, I mostly use it, uh, on, on the weekends to, to go to the gym and my gym
is in a safe, in a safe neighborhood.
And especially at the times that I go to the gym, it's, it's way safer than at night.
So I have no problems, uh, about that, but I would, I would, I would carefully consider,
uh, you know, leaving my bike, uh, at night in the center of, uh, of, of my city, which
is by the way, just to, to be precise here, uh, I said, I'm from Venice.
Well, there's the, it's male in Venice because, um, in Venice, you can't ride bikes.
It's just walking and, and water bus and that's it.
Uh, so I'm from male in Venice.
There are cars, there are roads, uh, walking, et cetera, just, just to be, uh, clear and coherent
here.
And that was, that was useful for like the audience of like base and like.
Yeah, especially because, you know, exactly.
I imagine people, maybe they, they visit Venice and say.
No, you can't ride bikes there.
What, what is even talking about?
Uh, that's why.
So were there like any rules about how you can drive and that like people actually follow
them?
Was there any enforcement?
Did anyone ever stop you?
Like, this is like both in like, um, like us and then like, um, in Italy, like it doesn't
really matter if you're like on a, I believe there's like no like difference between the
rules for like electric bikes and like it rules for like, um, rules for like unmotorized
bikes or like, are there any that you're aware of or like, how are they enforced?
Like what's the situation?
Like, uh, well for, uh, I guess for electric bikes and scooters, um, I guess there are speed
limits, which I'm not aware of, like the, the exact speed limits.
Uh, I don't have one and I rarely use like, uh, here like electric vehicles for micromobility.
So I wouldn't know, um, as far as, uh, as far as like, you know, normal, regular bikes,
uh, uh, are concerned, um, there are, uh, there are, uh, there are, there are very few enforcements
like, uh, you know, people are supposed to, uh, wear helmets or they're supposed to, you
know, uh, just like, don't, don't go over a certain, a certain speed, but nobody really
respects those, those, those norms, those, those enforcements.
I, I, I admit, you know, uh, I, I'm guilty of, of the first one.
I never wear a helmet.
Nobody ever does it in Italy.
And it's very, very common that more than one people, uh, you know, rides on a bike, like,
you know, the, the rider and the one, um, the one behind him.
So behind them.
So, yeah.
And I also saw lots of people on spins, you know, like a double, double riding.
Uh, so I guess it's, uh, it's pretty, pretty common that, that lots of enforcements are not
respected in, in, in practice.
So the enforcement is like a universal problem, like based on like the two scenarios that we
talked about then.
I, I guess, I guess, uh, you know, did you ever come across like any signage that asked
you to like slow down or like, I don't know, like wear helmets or.
Yes, yes, yes, I did.
Um, on campus, especially, I remember, um, you know, uh, it's like you, you should wear
a helmet that, that for sure you shouldn't ride in like more than, more than one person.
Um, that's, that's, yes, that's the two that, that I recall from my time at UCSD.
So you mentioned that like people like double ride and that makes it probably like unsafe
for like the pedestrians involved in this.
Um, because like, I, I feel like there's like a, there's more of a chance that like the person
crashes while doing that.
I have personally seen like people on like skateboards, which is like another micro mobility
device, um, like carrying someone or like, um, riding, like double riding a skateboard.
And I personally think like those lead to like more crashes than like, um, even like not having
enough experience of riding.
So like, what are your views on that?
Is that like something that like people do because like, they don't really have like enough
budget to like, uh, take, um, separate ones.
Is it like fun?
Is it like something that people enjoy with like their partners or is it just like something
that people do even with friends or like, what's the ground reality?
Like, um, well, um, I guess there are both, you know, extrinsic factors like, you know, that,
I don't know, weather conditions that the floor is wet.
Um, and it happened to me once, you know, that the floor was wet and I lost control of
the vehicle and I slipped on the floor, uh, or other extrinsic factors might be, um, I don't
know, you know, uh, someone just, just, you know, uh, because sort of like runs you over
bumps, bumps against you and you have no control over that.
Uh, but I guess that it's very important that, um, it's very important to sort of like to,
to be an experienced driver, which is sort of paradoxical because you're supposed to gain
experience while driving.
Uh, but, um, it's like, it's like learning from your mistakes basically as opposed to like
If there's a chance, exactly.
If there's room for mistakes because you, you know, accidents can, I, I, I don't know if fatal,
but they can be very, very, very severe.
Um, it's important to be, to be good, at least good at driving.
Um, and, um, I, I also, I also think that one of, one of the reasons, uh, why, why people
often transgress rules is because yes, they're, they just take things lightly.
And I, I, again, I admit being guilty of that, you know, uh, I don't know.
I was with my, with my girlfriend over there and, you know, we always double ride.
Um, and just, just didn't care.
Nothing ever happened, uh, to us.
And it was just a very, very convenient way of, um, of moving from one place to another.
I don't know, uh, other, other observations from, from the field, I guess, uh, yeah, just
people often, often like to, to, to ride together.
I, I saw like, you know, the, um, I saw lots of times with, with friends, uh, using the,
the shared ride on spin.
So that's, I guess, an enjoyable experience and like just to something to do, to do together.
And you can go maybe like faster than usual with your friends or just, uh, having a sort
of like race.
Uh, I guess this, this is just, just some thoughts.
But like the shared ride is actually like, um, like separate, uh, spins that you can choose.
And like every single person like rides like one.
Yes, yes, exactly that.
Uh, yeah.
I just wanted to like make it clear.
And like, uh, it's not the same thing as like two people riding one scooter.
No, as which, which is what like people tend to do, but like there is another like hidden
danger and like shared riding that, like, if like, as you mentioned, like people like
try to like compete with each other.
So like, um, like, yeah, like that might like make them like take like risky turns or like
not slow down when there's like a decline because they want to like go faster to like beat, um,
whoever it is that they're challenging.
So like, I believe like that might like make it unsafe for everyone involved.
Yeah.
So, um, so it's mostly about like romance and like people find it like romantic to like
a double ride then.
Is it, that's the good reason why people like double ride?
I mean, romance, uh, it's just like, I guess, you know, romance is, is, is a factor there,
I guess, uh, because, you know, if you have to, let's say, I don't know, go to the beach
or like go, go watch the sunset in some, some beautiful place, you might use the spin to
and double ride.
That's it.
So do you think like there should be like, um, micro mobility devices that like accommodate
two people?
Because I have seen like bicycles that can like accommodate like two people and like make
it like, like maybe potentially like safer for everyone involved because like, then you
would have like proper space for like two people to even stand because like, if you ride
on like a one person micro mobility device, like it might be unsafe, like compared to
the two person one, because like you would actually have space to like stand for both of you guys
and like maybe like some sort of like safety device, if it's like a bike, you can also have
like, uh, I don't know, like proper seats and all of that.
So like, um, would like the, would you think like that concept would like be helpful?
I, I, I think it's a very good point and I actually haven't, uh, haven't ever thought
about it.
I guess if, uh, if like if some, you know, um, vehicles that are like specifically designed
for, for more than one person, like for two people were, were introduced, I would probably
choose that, uh, when, when double riding, you know, uh, it's, it's safer.
It's probably, you know, more, more comfortable to, to ride, um, to ride together.
And now that you let me think there, I, I remember when using the, the, the spin scooters, uh,
at UCSD, I remember there were like mostly, yeah, two, two types, two types of scooters,
like, um, so I think two models and one was, uh, and they, they slightly differed in, in color.
There, there were two, two tones of two different tones of orange.
And I remember there were, um, like the, the darker orange ones were sort of more robust
and, um, sort of more, uh, more stable.
Um, and that's why I, I often, uh, I often pick them over, over the other, when I had
the, the chance, when there was availability.
So, yeah, I've always seen like, um, I think other than like just the color, like, um, I
saw like three different types of like, uh, handles and like, there were also like these
like standing, like brakes or whatever you want to call them, like stands.
They were like stands that like lifted up the entire, like front of the scooter and they
were like stands that like had like a side, like took, um, like kickstand.
And I believe like the, those are like, uh, like, like, like all of those, like different
models are like different, um, experiences.
Some of them, like, just like some of them had this like, um, thing where they like just
stopped abruptly sometimes and like, or like deaccelerated.
So I believe like that also like contributed to me, like getting this like unexpected, like
joke sometimes where I was just like, um, even though like, because when I'm controlling
something with my own hands, I I'm like sort of like, um, predicting the next move or
like the next, uh, like where I'm going to be in like one second from now.
But if that, but if it like speeds up or like, um, like stops, like all of a sudden,
like it, I might get into an accident, like because of that.
And instead of like, uh, it being a safety feature, because like, let's say if I like
I'm crossing a car and like it stops all of a sudden, like the car might actually like
crash onto me instead of like that being as a, like, uh, that being the safety feature,
like something that like saves me in that scenario.
So, um, I don't know if you've ever experienced that, but like that has been my experience personally.
Like sometimes like when you go to the library work, they just like stop at this like sudden
joke instead of like a gentle deacceleration.
And I think that also like sort of makes things unsafe for like the pedestrians and like even
the micro mobility rider himself.
You know, I, I couldn't agree more and I, I absolutely feel the same about it.
Uh, I, I guess, uh, I'm, I'm not sure about this, but, um, I guess there are, you know,
certain, certain areas that are sort of like, uh, mapped on, onto the sort of like spin map.
I don't know.
And there, um, over those, those, in those areas, there are certain speed limits.
Library walk is one of them.
And, um, and I actually think it's, it's, it's pretty dangerous when you're, you know,
riding, riding faster.
And then you immediately like, uh, you, you get, you get abruptly stopped by, by the vehicle
or, uh, and you slow down abruptly.
And, but even more dangerous is the opposite when you're going slower and then you don't
know when you're going to accelerate, because you're, you're constantly, you know, um, pushing
the, the, the envelope, the, the accelerator.
And, uh, and then you, you, you abruptly accelerate and that, you know, that was about
to, to make me, make me fall several times, actually, like, I guess almost all the times
that that happened.
So yeah, a safety measure that turns out to be, uh, potentially unsafe, I would say.
Actually, um, now that you mentioned that, I think UCSD has banned micro mobility devices,
or like any like motor vehicles on the library to walk from like eight to five every single
weekday.
Were you like aware of that?
Or like, um, is that a rule that you've never heard of?
No, I actually wasn't aware of that.
And, uh, I can say I trust transgressed this, this rule, um, lots of times, but for, for lack
of awareness, I, I, I don't know where, where is written, uh, just out of curiosity.
I'll let you know about the resources after the podcast, but like, um, but like, if you
were aware of this, like, would you still like do it anyway?
Like, like being completely honest with yourself?
Like, I would say out of, um, probably just out of necessity, I guess.
Uh, but otherwise I, you know, I, I, I, I, I can still remember like different ways to,
to avoid library walks.
So I would have probably taken those, even though they're a bit longer and more convoluted.
So like, like you would like take it when you're, when you have like ample amount of
time, like, uh, like just like reach classes, but like in emergencies, you would just like
take the shortest path anyway.
I, I guess, yes.
In emergency, but also, you know, being an exchange student, I was constantly, I was constantly
sort of like, uh, uh, um, scared of, of breaking rules because you know, uh, the, the, I guess
they're, they're stricter in, in the U S than they are in, in Europe.
That's just a perception.
So I would have been, been, I would have used the, the other routes, I guess.
Okay.
Yeah.
Um, so do you think that there's like need, like, I don't know if you've noticed, but like
on library walk, they do not have like any, like bike lanes necessarily.
Like you can still like operate a bike, but do you have to like sort of like maneuver
around like pedestrians and like, there's no like clear marked lanes.
So like, what do you, what do you think about that?
I would say that a bike lane would be much needed over there.
Yeah.
And it would be, would be very, very useful just to, you know, to avoid all, to avoid
all the people when it, when it's crowded and, um, to prevent accidents from happening.
So, yeah.
So it would like solve like both of the problems.
So like one stone, because like you would sort of have this like shortest path scenario,
like, like where, where like you're short on time and you can just like take the shortest
path because there's like proper bike lane infrastructure to begin with.
And then like, you also don't have like actively make this conscious like decision of like
picking, picking like a suboptimal path when you're like short on time and like think
about like the implications of that.
And like, if you ever like not follow the rules, would that like reduce the anxiety around
it or like make the entire experience like more, um, like easy, easy?
Yeah.
Uh, I do think, I do think so.
I do think so.
Uh, I guess bike lane on, on library walk and, you know, the adjacent areas would be, uh,
would make it much easier and, and, and safer to, to ride over there.
Yeah.
So, um, moving on to your previous experience and like, um, like when you were like coming
over here, like what your perceptions were about the place and like how they actually turned
out to be, I wanted to ask some questions about that.
So like, um, let's say like you were like the new student over there.
And like, what did you assume like before like landing in that flight, like the States,
like what, like, what did you assume about like getting around the campus and what turned
out to be like true?
Like what was the difference between those two realities, the one that you have, like,
like the reality and like the, like the perceived reality that you had in your head, like before
landing in the States and like living that like university life.
Uh, I would say my expectations were, uh, were met in the sense that, um, I, I expected, um,
that, you know, there, there, there would be, uh, like a micro mobility vehicles, like electric
scooters or bikes to move around campus.
And I also expected there would be a bus and I expected all those, those, you know, means of,
of commuting around campus to be, uh, actually to, yeah, to be, to be convenient and to be
efficient, uh, just because, you know, I, I, I got informed, um, about UCSD and there's,
there's plenty of resources about every single, um, area of, of student lives on, on the website.
So that was very, that was very useful to, uh, to craft, uh, and like to, to make myself an
idea of what I, I'd encounter.
Um, but maybe if I, if I, uh, if I hadn't been informed, I would have expected, um, I would
have expected probably like less availability of, of, uh, like, uh, of, of, of these micro
mobility solutions for students, just because, you know, um, I guess as Europeans would think
of, of, uh, America has, as, you know, very, very big places, very long distances that can
be covered only by, um, by owned vehicles, mostly by car.
And that actually didn't turn out to be true in the case of, of, of campus, you know, UCSD.
So like campus, like a, like sort of like a mini city by itself where you can like.
Yeah, that's true.
That's true.
Where you can like actually have like more micro mobility, like than like the city itself.
Um, did you ever like try getting around the city using micro mobility, like outside of
the campus?
Uh, yes, yes, I did.
Uh, but I would say in order to get to, you know, uh, other, other places of, of, of San
Diego that are not La Jolla, it's, you know, it's just, just the running, riding the trolley
isn't the best, the best solution.
Like it doesn't, it doesn't get you everywhere.
It gets you to the, you know, to most places and it's pretty convenient for those places.
But I, um, often had, you know, the, the often had like, you know, I don't know, commitments
or, or events planned at places that were not, um, easily reachable through, through the
trolley.
So, so, um, like as with like the rules surrounding all of this, like, did anyone tell you about
those rules?
Like, like, I know that you, you read a lot about like the infrastructure itself, like on
the UCSC related basis, but like, were there like any like rules mentioned or like any,
like no go zones or like any sort of like any other rules or like, did anyone else like
inform you about like how you could get around campus, maybe in like some sort of orientation
or any other like orientation email or like how, how, how were those like communications
and are you, were you just like handed over like a link and like, you can just like go
and find your way around campus or like whatever way or like, how was that experience?
Yeah.
Uh, you know, like all that, that information about commuting, commuting around campus was
given to us from the, um, I guess the international student office, uh, at UCSD.
So that was super, super useful.
Um, and yes, otherwise I, I, I, I probably would have only been able to, to, to read the website,
but yeah, we, we as sort of guides for transportation on campus given to us from the international
student office, like department.
Yeah.
Okay.
Were you like informed about them during your orientation as well?
Was there an orientation to begin with?
Cause I'm not aware of the procedure of elect transfers or exchange students.
Um, oh, well, let's say that time passed.
So, but no, no, no formal, formal orientation, uh, beyond the material, the like orientation
material we received.
No, no, no, no, like in-person orientation.
No.
Okay.
That is usually the case for like first year students.
So I just wanted to like know what the process is, but yeah.
Um, is there anything that you found like confusing when like moving around campus?
Like anything that you thought was like really confusing or like, um, like me personally,
for, for instance, like I really found like that, like all of those, like Amazon lockers,
like Amazon is like a big player and like, um, e-commerce and like all of that, that we, um,
like readily used.
So like, I honestly thought that like getting to all of those, like Amazon lockers was a
hassle on like, for instance, like since we're like talking about like micro mobility, like
I definitely thought like that those like, uh, spin stations weren't like strategically
located to the, uh, near the location that you would want to like access the most.
Like for instance, like there's a restaurant named like OVD, Ocean View Terrace Pizza.
Like, like it's for like, it's mostly famous for like pizzas and like Italian stuff.
But I, whenever I took the spin to that area, I did not really have any like proper, um,
spin stations where I could park the scooter at.
And I had to leave those in like awkward positions and then just like close the ride through the
app or like contact the support team because there was like no strategically like PlayStation.
I know that there are like a lot of stations along that way, but like, I still feel like
restaurants are some places where you genuinely like go again and again.
And I feel like having those stations like close to those like, uh, public places, it's just like very, like a sensible solution to do this like entire problem of like spin scooters, like lying around, especially since I've like talked to some like pedestrians and like this was a major complaint from them that they find like spin scooters, like facing downwards or like just like, uh, across the street, like, and that like blocks the pedestrian pathway and puts them in the harm's way.
By like forcing them to, like, like forcing them to take the road, for instance, like, and like
get out of the pedestrian zone, like, and then go on the road and then like go up to the pedestrian
zone again.
So like, have you, have you ever faced any such thing or like, uh, what's been your experience?
I mean, I, I, I, I, well, OVT is a great example because, uh, there's, uh, there's no, like there's, I mean, yeah, there are several like, you know, parking spots near OVT, but not one actually, um, actually there.
So I guess there should be more in general, just, just, you know, to, to keep the, to keep the roads, uh, like, uh, tidy and without, without scooters, um, put, put every, like, you know, put in a kind of like not, not orderly manner.
Um, and also if there were more, um, more dedicated parking spots, I guess the, there, like the scooters would be parked, uh, parked better because there, there wouldn't be so much, you know, like, um, so, so many, many scooters parked in just, you know, just few parking spots.
So I, I guess things would be more, yeah, just tidier and more organized.
Yeah, um, I don't know if you've noticed, but like, there's like two different types of like, uh, like bike lane infrastructure on campus.
There's ones that are like, uh, where the bike lanes are actually like on the opposite sides, like, um, it's like the bike lanes are, um, like the road lanes for the, like the lanes for the cars are like sandwiched between the bike lanes.
So the bike lanes are like on either side, like between the car lanes and the pedestrian lanes, like the sidewalk.
And then there's like lanes that is like next to the ridge walk, which is like the, like the long strip that like runs along Rimac and like other places on campus.
So like over there you have like, um, both of the bike, like going front and like back, like next to each other and like separated, uh, from the pedestrian walkway via like, like, I don't know, like, uh, divider or like any sort of like plantation.
So like, uh, uh, what, what has your experience been with like, uh, either of those, like, and do you think like one is superior to the other or like, which one supports the need of the students better?
Like, okay, sure.
Hmm.
Okay.
Which I, and I guess, and the question is which one I'd, I'd, I'd prefer or.
Yeah.
Which one, which, which one is like safer, like, which one do you think should be.
I guess, I guess the, the second one, probably, I guess the second one, uh, just, just because, you know, like you, uh, and also I can't remember how, how was the, the separator between the two lanes and then in the case, like, uh, being able to, to go both ways with, was it like, uh.
There was no separator, which is like a white, white line on the road.
Like there was a separator between the, both of those lanes and the, uh, like the pedestrian bridge walk.
So there was like a divider, like a plantation that was like dividing those, but like between those two, like, um, back and forth lanes, there was like no divider.
There was just like two green lanes next to each other.
Yeah.
Then, then, yes, I, I definitely, definitely think that the, the, the second option one with, you know, bike lanes on, on either side of the road, uh, are, is, is probably the safest just because you, yeah, you, you don't, yeah.
Um, you, you, you don't risk, um, having, like people going, going against you with, with their vehicles.
It's just like, it's just one direction.
Okay.
But have you ever considered like how, um, if you're choosing that like path where you have like, um, where you have those like bike lane infrastructures, like next to the car lane infrastructure, like the car sort of like just like takes up the bike space as well at times.
And you're like forced onto the pedestrian walkway.
Like, has it ever been a problem for you?
Um, I guess, I guess, yeah.
Um, I actually recall, um, I, you know, like in several, on several occasions, I just, um, I just used maybe for, for, uh, short distances, the, the, like the, the pedestrian walk, uh, right.
So, um, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, and especially, you know, like the, the thing here is the, the, the short width of, of, of the bike lanes, um, that, that I guess is the main problem.
Um, and that's why cars risk just like running over you or like, just being very, very close to you riding.
So now that you've like considered this scenario, like, would you think that the other option was actually safer where you had the micro mobility lanes, like separated from everything else and like right next to each other, like back and forth?
Actually, yes, yes.
After, after consideration, yes, it's probably best to, I mean, it's probably better to, uh, have a sort of like, you know, bike, bike accident or just like, uh, then, or a bike collision, let's say, then, then a car collision with a car bike collision, I guess.
Yeah, I think like people when like the same as the case with like authorities, like when they make decisions, like they might consider one argument and like totally disregard the other and like, um, make a decision that like sort of like favors one thing over the other.
So like, yeah, that is a dilemma like that people usually face and like, yeah, in terms of like limited context and like limited like experience themselves because like the authorities usually do not use micro mobility infrastructure on campus.
Like it's usually like the students themselves and like, they don't really have that much of a say in like the infrastructure being built per se.
So, yeah.
Do you think like bridging that gap would be like better?
Of course, we'd have like a feedback cycle.
I guess.
Yeah.
I guess the feedback loop is, is a sensible, is a sensible thing or like sensible process to incorporate in policymaking decisions.
And not only in this case, like in the micro mobility solutions and infrastructure case, but yeah, just like, um, people or users feedback is, is essential always to, to improve the quality.
Um, moving on to the, like the last section of this, like podcast, like, um, I just wanted to ask you like a couple of like quick questions about like what you would do if you were in that situation or like what you would change basically.
Um, so let's say if you, you had like one year at like UCSD, but if you had like four instead, like, would you have solved something about it?
Would you have like, if you had the position, like if you were, if you were in a position of power or like, like student government, for instance, or like any other like, uh, position where you can like actually change the, like the fundamentals of micro mobility on campus.
Like what would you change and like, how do you think like that is justified?
Well, wait, that, that's tough question.
Um, but I guess I would, well, uh, of course, after, after budget considerations, I would probably, uh, I would probably introduce more, uh, like more bike lanes in specific spots.
Like, uh, uh, for example, like, you know, like library walk, um, and I justified with, you know, uh, the things we, we said, um, with, you know, the, the place being too crowded and actually, you know, vehicles like electric vehicles running anyway, like in, in, through, through library walk.
So, uh, I guess, uh, I guess a bike lane would be, would be much needed and justified, uh, for, for safety purposes and also convenience, uh, reasons.
Uh, then I would probably, I don't, I don't know if it's, it's, if it's already that, that, that frequent light, but I would probably increase the frequency of, of, uh, bus rides.
Um, and, uh, probably increase the, like the, the hours, the running hours, um, even though I, I, I, I guess, you know, like just the drivers must get paid and maybe paid even more for, for awkward times.
Like, you know, like, you know, 1, 2 a.m. Uh, so, and I, I justified with, um, with just like, you know, the, the, the, the need, need to, to, like, to move around campus.
Um, then other things, uh, I, I wouldn't actually know. That's, that's pretty much it.
It's okay. It's okay. We can, like, uh, move over that. Um, so, um, given the fact that you've, like, spent, like, time in, like, both places, like, is there anything that you genuinely, like, find that's, like, missing from, like, the American infrastructure compared to, like, what you've, whatever you experienced in, like, uh, what, what country was it? Like, France? I, I believe?
France. Yeah, France.
Yeah. So, like, what, what is something that you found that was, like, missing and, like, present over there, but, like, missing over here, given that, like, Europe is actually, like, big on, like, um, posts and, like, like, public infrastructure and, like, I, I believe it's, uh, I don't know the micromobility situation, but I believe it's, like, it must be better than, like, what we have in America.
Well, uh, for, just, like, you know, for the micromobility, I wouldn't, I wouldn't agree that much. I think the situation is, looks, looks pretty good. Uh, I don't know if in America overall, but, like, and, uh, at least in, like, in San Diego, uh, it looks good in terms of, like, just micromobility, um, like, very short, short distances through, through, you know, rented bikes and, and scooters.
Um, I think it's, it's better than, than Italy or France. Uh, but, uh, I guess, yeah, public transportation is, um, the public transportation infrastructure is, it's just, um, better, there are more options, uh, and there are more routes as well.
Like, I, I don't know, for example, uh, I remember using the trolley, there were only, I guess, three, three, um, lines, like three, three line colors.
Um, whereas, like, I guess here in Europe in general, you, you would find way more routes, even to, um, like leading to less, less, uh, common places.
So, I would say more option and more availability and that's, uh, yeah, that's a constraining fact.
And, and even outside, outside of, uh, of the town, like you, there, yeah, there, there are way, way more routes to, to lots of places.
So, do you think, like, having a better, like, improved, like, um, like the trolley network or, like, public mobility network or, like, the bus network basically, like, would also improve the, uh, like, the micromobility usage?
Because, like, in a way, if you think about it, like, um, like, you can go to, like, the major spots using these, uh, like, public infrastructure options and then, like, do the last mile connectivity with, like, a micromobility device.
For instance, like, you can come to UCSD, uh, on a bus and take your bike with you and then, like, use the bike to, like, get to your specific spot on campus.
So, do you think, like, uh, improving the public infrastructure, infrastructure overall, like, would also help boost the micromobility adoption?
I would, I would, I would think so.
I would, I would, I would say so.
And, uh, I would say that, like, you know, the one reinforces the other, right?
Or, I mean, like, yeah, just public transportation usage, uh, reinforces micromobility usage.
So, um, coming to the pedestrian bits, like, I, I believe you must have been a pedestrian at some point as well, right?
Like, during your stay at campus.
So, um, like, seeing at it from the other way around, like, do you think, like, this growing micromobility adoption, like, is actually, like, a threat to the pedestrians?
Because, like, now you have, like, scooters entering onto people because, like, I personally had, like, two accidents with, like, like, when I stopped using scooters for, like, a couple of months, I, like, like, those, um, spin riders actually ran into me.
So, like, uh, do you think it's actually making the campus, like, unsafe for the pedestrians, which is, like, actually the majority as compared to the micromobility vehicles?
Yeah, I, I, I guess it's a, it's a real concern.
It's a real safety concern, um, to always have, you know, like, just micromobility vehicles running very close to, to pedestrians.
And as a pedestrian, I, you know, I, I actually often, or, you know, like, just sometimes at least I felt unsafe around, around scooters or, or, or, or, or bikes in general.
Um, so, uh, let's say the, the, the further I, I was, as a pedestrian, the, the further I was from, from any type of, of other vehicle, whether a car or, or, yeah, or scooters or bikes, uh, the safer I felt.
Yeah.
So, like, do you think, like, um, people should, like, ban these micromobility devices, like, near, near pedestrians or, like?
Well, um, I, I guess, yeah, I, I guess near, near pedestrians, they should be banned.
They should be banned.
Do you think there should be, like, criminal charges for, like, um, riding a scooter in, like, pedestrian zones?
Or, like, um, if you hit a person with a, uh, like, let's say, scooter or a bike, like, should there be, like, criminal proceedings or, like, would that help the situation?
I, I'd say it's a sensible, uh, it's a sensible thing to enforce, um, especially because, you know, uh, damage can be, can be, can be pretty severe and in general violations, you know, violations can lead to, to severe accidents.
So, I would say fines are, are, are totally, totally justified.
So, like, fines more than, like, prison time or something like that?
Yeah, just, just fines, just fines, no, no prison time.
Because I believe, like, if you, like, have, like, very strict enforcement, like, that would do the opposite and, like, drive down the micro-mobility adoption because, like, now.
Oh, yeah, definitely.
You're scared to, like, actually, right, because what if something happens and, like, no, all of a sudden, like, their entire life is, like, ripped upside down in a way, so, yeah.
Yeah, you know, your last wish as an international student is to, to find yourself in an American prison, I guess.
Yeah, so, yeah.
I believe, like, they deport you more than they put you in the prison, but, okay, yeah.
Yeah, it's probably true as well.
Yeah, and then you cannot continue your studies, so, yeah.
Exactly.
Have you ever thought about, like, accessibility reasons, like, like, how it's a danger to, like, accessibility because, like, a blind person cannot hear a scooter coming towards them?
And, like, like, a pedestrian might, like, avoid them, but, like, if someone comes on, like, if someone is on, like, a wheelchair, like, a micro-mobility person could do a lot of harm to them.
And they wouldn't be able to, like, see it or, like, whatever.
I, I actually, I've never thought about, about, about in this, this terms, like, under the, you know, accessibility perspective.
As far as I remember, something that really, really struck me when I was in the U.S., when I was at UCSD, was, like, the presence of, you know, like, kind of, like, accessibility lanes, which is not even a concept where I come from.
So, and I know they're, like, separate and they're far from, from bike lanes.
Like, they're, like, a whole, whole separate track.
So, um, I guess I've never thought about accessibility concerns, but, uh, I also think that, um, like, there are already some, some sort of, like, uh, solutions, like, separate solutions for, you know, bike lanes and, and, uh, accessibility lanes in the U.S.
Um, I don't know that, that I don't know how, how, like, uh, how widespread is the, the presence of accessibility.
So, you know, uh, um, I don't know, I'm in a wheelchair and, uh, I have to go to, to, to, to some place that it's not covered by accessibility lanes that, and in that case, yes, I would, I would, I would, I'd be concerned, uh, because, you know, uh, there's a, there's a lot of, like, uh, risky factors, um, represented by, by other vehicles potentially, you know, running in sort of like into me.
So, um, let's say if you're, like, at this, in this, like, hypothetical scenario, like, and you're in a scooter, and then, like, um, and, like, a blind person comes, and, like, they'll just, like, sort of walk into the micro-immobility lane, so, like, technically, it is their fault, but, like, they're also, like, not, like, uh, they're, since they're, like, blind, so, like, they couldn't really see anything, and, like, you crash into them, so, like, uh, like, if you're, let's say if you're not, like, actually a pedestrian, but, like, um, like, you're the campus personnel,
like, who do you think would be, like, responsible in such a case, and, like, how should, like, campus handle those, like, things, and, like, how?
Well, uh, you mean, like, only in the case that a vehicle hits a pedestrian, right?
Yeah, but, like, the pedestrian is, like, blind, so, like, they couldn't really see anything.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.
Um, well, uh.
Do you think it's still, like, the motorcyclist's fault, or, like, do you think it's, like, the.
Yeah, I, I, I, I would still think it's the, the, it's rider's fault.
Okay.
Uh, yeah, yeah, uh, you know, like, uh, uh, however unpredictable, uh, could be, like, I don't know, the, could, could have been the, the, the blind person's moves, uh, or the movement, you know, it's, it's a rider's fault, I would say.
Yeah, so, whatever, like, the reason might be, like, you're still responsible for, like, stopping when, whenever something comes into your way, like, even if you're in the wrong place, like, yeah.
Yeah, um, yeah, um, I would agree with that, like, I definitely feel, like, the rider would be at the, like, yeah, because the other person is, is at the mercy of the mobility user, so, like, you are the one with the bigger car, like, the same way if you, like, drive into, like, the car lane, like, the car is responsible to stop for you,
and not just, like, hit into you, so, yeah, um, do you ever also feel, like, scared of, like, cars when using a spin, like, uh, if the car would, like, hit you, they have, like, 80 airbags, you do not have any safety device, so, like, you're, like.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I guess, um, I wasn't, I wasn't, I wasn't really, you know, uh, scared, uh, but just, just to, I, I, I always made sure, maybe unconsciously, to take the, the right precautions, and just to, like, to stay at a, like, uh, you know, uh, at a safe distance, even if that meant going sometimes on the, on the sidewalks, you know, the pedestrian sidewalks.
Okay, um, yeah, that makes sense, um, so, anyways, like, wrapping up this entire thing, like, um, is there anything that you think we haven't, like, touched upon, or I should have, like, asked you, but I did not, like, uh, anything that you would want to, like, leave your remarks on, or, like, improve, or, like, anything that you would like to say?
I'd, I'd probably say, uh, just, like, you know, the, um, the use of non, like, non-rented, non-rented bikes, just, like, you know, like, um, I would say, and non, non-electric, non-rented bikes, so, your own bike, and that is non-electric.
Um, I would say that, uh, it's probably, it's probably a topic to, um, to tackle when, uh, you know, when it comes to, to micro-ability on campus, just because it's just, like, like, walking.
It's just a very healthy way to, to commute, and I guess it's, uh, you know, if you're for sure that your bike is not, is not getting stolen, or, like, it's very unlikely that it gets stolen, uh, and you, you can also exercise while commuting.
So, I guess it's, uh, it's just, you know, a topic that I would have probably, you know, maybe talked, talked about more, but I, I, I think this interview was very, very comprehensive.
Um, one thing that I actually wanted to bring up, like, now, now that we're, like, wrapping it up, is, like, um, like, when you walk, like, when you use, like, these, like, unmotorized, like, vehicles to, um, get to your class, like, do you also feel like they just, like, um, they just sort of, like, make you tired when you're, like, going there?
So, like, um, like, they actually play, like, a negative effect on, like, like, like, because it's unmotorized, you do not have, like, any assistance, and by the time you go to the class, like, you're already, like, tired and, like, not really doing the class anymore.
Because, like, you might be sleepy, you might be, like, exhausted because of that bike run, and, like, UCC does have, like, steep lines in some place, so that might also, like, play a role.
So, like, how do you, like, tackle that?
Like, how do you think, like, that affects the entire thing?
Yeah, I, I, I do think it's, you know, um, it's probably, um, it, it probably depends on, on the route that you have to take to get to the class.
And now that you let me think about it, um, I, I remember some very steep hills, um, uh, on, on campus that I would have much, much, much preferred to, and I actually, you know, I actually did use motorized vehicles, like, electric vehicles to, to run those.
So, I, I don't know if that makes you so exhausted that you can't follow a class.
I don't think so.
I actually think that, you know, as, as students, we, we just, like, we, we probably sit a lot.
And it's just a very good way to, you know, release the stress and get the, your heart, heart rate up during the day.
Yeah.
Oh, but yes, it's probably not the best option when at night you're tired and after, maybe after class and you have to run the steep hill.
Yeah, that makes sense.
I personally did feel that way, but, um, I, I agree with, like, that, yeah, that might not be the case for, like, everyone.
So, um, moving on to the last question, I just wanted to ask if there's, like, any, if there's, like, any resources.
Um, that you came across that you found, found super helpful when, like, traversing across the campus or, like, moving from the campus to the city.
Like, for instance, there's an app called, like, Pronto, where you get, like, free, um, bus passes, sort of, for UCSD students.
And you can use that to, um, use any of the Prontos, like, like, any of the, like, MTSs, buses, or, like, the trolley, free.
So, um, if there's, like, any resources that you come across or, like, anything that you would like to, like, um,
that would help people out, like, whoever's listening to this.
Well, other than Pronto, which is a very valuable resource, um, I guess, well, I guess maybe just trying one of those, like,
I actually did it, like, in one of those promo, you know, promo code websites, like Cooper or something, uh, just to get promo codes for, for writing spins, um, that actually turned out to be, to be pretty useful.
Yeah, they, I, I mean, not, not always, but, yeah, just, like, you know, a few times, yeah, they, they saved me, they saved me a couple bucks.
So, I was actually happy.
Uh, it's, it's Cooper, Cooper, it's like, it's a Chrome extension that allows you to, uh, like, um, yeah.
What was the name of the site again?
C-O-U-B-R-T.
Okay.
Yeah, that was, um, is there anything else that you would like to share, like, any, like, other resource?
Uh, actually, no, I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't have anything to, to add more.
Sorry.
Um, I think, I think, like, for, like, commuting across from the campus of the city, I think for, um, like, these trolley systems, you could also just use Google Maps because there's an option to, like, tap the trolley button and it'll decide the path for you.
And you can use, like, the, uh, Toronto's app to, like, just, like, take free rides if you're, like, a community member of, like, UCSG.
Um, but, yeah, um, and there's also, I believe there's also, like, another app for, like, MTS where you can see the entire network of all of these trolleys and, like, buses.
So, I believe that could be helpful.
And then, like, on campus, I believe there's an app, um, that you can use to spot the bus's live location.
Uh, I think it's called Transcript or Transcript or something.
I know, I actually, something like that, yeah.
So, um, you can use these resources, I guess.
Um, yeah.
So, yeah, that was it for today's episode.
Um, so, thank you, everyone, for tuning in and listening to this.
That was Alejandro, who spent his entire last year as an exchange student in UCSD.
Um, so, we just want to, like, leave it at this and come back for the next episode with another guest.
Um, thank you so much.
Yeah.
Thank you, Yash.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thanks for listening.
Yeah.