CADEN HAYNOR / ASST. NEWS EDITOR

University of San Diego (USD) Tram Services recently added the Manchester Express route, making the tram system more accessible to the 300 students living in the upper division housing area. This will significantly shorten the long, hilly walk  students in Manchester Village Apartments have been forced to walk to access classes and other on campus activities. 

USD junior and year long Manchester resident Danica Rauch explained the usefulness of the tram.

“The tram is really good in a time crunch and it’s really reliable, especially since Manchester is the first stop in the East Loop, so it’s usually pretty accessible.”

USD sophomore and Manchester resident Charles Jahn emphasized the importance of the new route.

“If the tram was not available, I’d be massively cooked,” Jahn said. 

Manchester Village, one of the second year and upper-division housing options at USD, is known for its disconnectedness compared to other living areas on campus. USD sophomore Catelin King explained the pros and cons of living in Manchester.

“I like the area around it, and it is nice to be around the fields and the gym which I would prefer to be around than right next to all the classrooms,” King stated. “But it is far away.” 

Getting to classes and other campus events is more difficult from Manchester requiring a one mile walk up large hills on Torero Way.

Jahn explained the tram service’s busiest times of the day and whether he has ever had to wait for another tram. 

“Definitely in the mornings, about half an hour before class, that’s when it’s most busy,” Jahn remarked, “So far, no, the tram has not been too packed, we all manage to squeeze ourselves in.” 

This has made for shorter commute times and, by extension, more time for students to relax in their dorm rooms and get more work done.

Rauch recollected the tram’s busiest times of the day.

“People use the tram in the morning, especially around eight or nine, or even ten,” Rauch said.

There are five stops along the East Campus Loop which begins in Manchester Village. The tram goes from the Child Development Center in Manchester Village, through the parking lot next to the tennis courts, onto the main road and up to the Law Circle. This is where most Manchester residents reportedly exit for their classes and where most students board the tram to return to Manchester Village. The tram then goes past the baseball field and Manchester soccer field, returning to the stop in Manchester. 

This entire trip takes about 15 minutes, although the Tram Services page on the USD website stated that trams come every half an hour,   meaning  this can fluctuate depending on the time of day. 

USD junior Kian Drees commented  on  the  wait  for the tram.

“The  wait  for  the  tram is usually not that bad, but it depends if you catch it when it’s coming to you,” Drees said.

One of the most common ways USD students check to see if they want to take the tram is by tracking it via the “Passio GO!” app. This app tracks all trams every weekday from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm. Tram stops are clearly marked on the app so that students can find the closest stop to them and see whether their tram is close enough to make riding it beneficial for their commute. This tram tracking app is available on desktop and mobile devices as well.

This faster mode of transportation has allowed students living in Manchester to access frequented areas of campus more easily. This implementation will encourage more current first-year  students  to live in Manchester Village.

The new Manchester Express helps ease the commute for students living in the Manchester Village Apartments. Cristiana Vladescu/The USD Vista