Corpus Christi is quite the large city, and as with most big cities, public transportation is a requirement.
For cheap public transportation, Corpus Christi offers the CCRTA bus system. Founded in 1985, it has continued to evolve over the years, resulting in a large web of interconnecting bus routes and benches.
Most people can ride the bus about $1.75. However, Del Mar College students can use it for free as long as they have an updated school ID of the current semester.
Although the bus is free to use for Del Mar students, it does not mean that it is easy to use. With how the routes are mapped out, it can take some time to manually plan a trip home or to go shopping; however, once done the benefits to be reaped are great.
Cheap transportation is not the only thing you get when using the CCRTA, you also gain the opportunity to meet new people and see interesting events.
Oscar Quintero, a Corpus Christi resident, has been riding the bus two years, since his car broke down.
“You see and meet many people, both good and bad,” Oscar said of riding the bus.
He also said that if there was anything he could do to improve the system, it would be more buses, accessibility, and longer scheduled hours for the bus so that people can get around the city during the nighttime.
I also met a Del Mar student named Alexis while riding the bus. She has been using the bus since late 2022, she said, because it’s too expensive to buy a car, pay for gas, and afford car insurance.
Alexis said she would like to see several improvements to the system, including the CCRTA making a dedicated app to the bus system for simple access to route planning, more funding to the transit, more routes and buses, and constant updates on obstructions to current bus routes, such as construction.
Both riders said that even with the difficulties, it is financially beneficial to use the bus system, especially for cash-strapped college students.
