UBC Okanagan club organizing carpools to help students stranded by bus strike

The ongoing transit strike in the Kelowna area has some UBC Okanagan students working on a different type of group project: carpooling.

Nikita Taylor with the UBC-O Car Club says his group has been trying to organize rides for students without vehicles who need to get to classes,shop and run other errands.

"On campus it's definitely been a little more hectic. Students are usually trying to find ways to get on campus early enough for classes," he told Radio West host Audrey McKinnon.

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The Car Club is normally just a group of car enthusiasts, but Taylor says the strike has convinced them to start helping with rides.

"We've got a number of Facebook pages at UBC-O and a lot of people have stepped up to the plate and offered their vehicles to many of the students in town," he said.

UBC's Okanagan campus is on the outskirts of Kelowna. Taylor saysgetting to class is becoming an issue for some students, but those who live on campus face another issue: they need to buy groceries too, and with no supermarkets on campus and no public transit,many are hurting.

Taylor says he hopes a resolution to the strike comes soon, but until then, students can join the Car Club to ask for a ride.

With files from CBC Radio One's Radio West

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled:UBC-O club organizing carpools to help students stranded by bus strike