Getting to the Diablo Valley College campus can be a tedious affair these days. Do you use the bus? Do you have enough money for gas? Maybe you just call a cab.

It’s the never ending quest to get from point A to point B. With a great variety of ways to get to campus, driving isn’t the only way to get to class. But the real question is can they beat the time, expense and availability of a car these days?

What kind of options do students have to get to campus besides driving there?

The County Connection buses are one popular way to get around. With regular and express routes at about $2-2.25, or monthly passes at $60, according to the County Connection website, it can be the cheapest way to get around. But just remember that the buses aren’t renowned for their speed.

Psychology major Kathy Gusenkov, 19, prefers her car over the bus.

“The bus is just too slow, regardless of different routes, it just wasn’t convenient since I live 30 minutes from campus,” she said.

Pierre Genard, 18, shares her sentiments. 

“It’s a nice cheap way to get around, but the waiting times are long and annoying,” he said.

If the bus isn’t up to your speed, then maybe a taxi can pick you up. Compared to regular taxi services and driver-for-hire services like Uber, the Contra Costa Yellow Cab offers a $2.75 pick up charge and $2.75 per mile rate, while driver-for-hire service Uber offers a cheaper base fare of $2.20 and an additional $1.30 per mile rate.

To put this into perspective, a trip from DVC to the Walnut Creek BART Station with the Contra Costa Yellow Cab comes out to roughly $16.70. A trip with Uber on the same route comes out to $13-17 according to its website.

“Personally, I’ve had no problems with Uber,” Genard said. “It’s a nice last minute thing and the rates are reasonable.” In this case, Uber has the potential to save students a couple of bucks. But are students willing to pay up?

Despite the bargains, the most popular way of getting around is still driving. This may not come as a surprise as gas prices reach record lows across California. Prices have dropped 50 cents per gallon since June, according to a AAA report from NBC Bay Area.

“I carpool with four others,” said 19-year-old Jacob Stancliff. “I haven’t really noticed the gas prices since we chip in a fairly small amount, but I’m glad they’re so low.”

Other students, like art major Natalia Estrada, 18, think the gas prices are just too good to be true.

“The prices are a little fishy dropping so low,” she said. “I understand if they drop a few cents, but it’s nearly 50 cents. Not that I can really complain.”

Whether you decide to capitalize on the drop in gas prices, the cheap rates of the bus or the speed and reliability of a cab, just remember that there’s always another way to get to DVC.