The problem and who I will be interviewing

    The problem I will be talking about is that the transportation system in San Diego does not accommodate SDSU students and I will be interviewing a SDSU student that depends on the trolley on the daily; that way I can gain insight of their experiences. 

    I am considering interviewing a friend of mine who has been a frequent rider on the trolley for the past five years, and relies on this form of transport to get to SDSU. SDSU students without a car, such as my friend, are the best group to interview for this problem because they are the main group I talked about in my essay, and interviewing them will allow me to gather their experiences of public transport. I can collect data of how it affects their social life, education, and how they feel about getting to places knowing rides can take a long time. Methods to collect data is an informative article on how to effectively collect data, and some tips I will apply to my own research, is to first define my goals of doing this interview, and avoiding leading questions.

Where will the interview take place and how will it be conducted?

    The interview will take place at the dome library located on SDSU’s campus, and I plan on recording a voice memo or a video to capture the information that the interviewee will be sharing with me. As I record using my phone, I will be writing  important information on a google doc from the questions that I ask, so I can include it in my research.

    Before beginning the interview, I will explain the topic to my interviewee by introducing my problem, saying how I think that it is hard for students at SDSU to get through San Diego without a car. I will also share my experiences of public transportation, then ask them for their thoughts if they think the transportation system lets them get to places efficiently, or if they wish it were different in any aspect. Effective ways to conduct interview shares tips on how to conduct a good interview.

Questions I will be asking

 I will be asking four main interview questions to my interviewee. To list them out: 

1.  How do you feel about having to rely on the SDSU trolley all the time from school, work, and getting home? Do you feel that having to depend on the trolley/bus a majority of the time, make you want a personal vehicle? 

    The article Unreliable Transit System in the US describes the effects of having an unreliable transit system, and this can make students want their own vehicle. 

2. Does not having a car of your own, and having to go on the trolley impact any aspects of your life such as social events, your health, getting to work, or your education? 

3. How does your experience using public transportation compare to other students you know at SDSU? Do you think they have similar experiences as you? 

4. What does a day commuting from school back to home look like for you? Can you tell me the time durations it takes you and how it interferes with your daily routine? 

    I ask this question because waiting for the bus or trolley can feel like ages. Waiting for the bus can be exhausting describes how public transportation can sometimes be delayed or come early, which can affect the routine of SDSU students leaving them frustrated. 

    To finish off the interview, I will be asking the interviewee if they would make any changes to the system to make it meet the needs of students at SDSU. If yes, I would ask them what actions would they take and what improvements would they like to see that could benefit a SDSU student like them who does not own a car. 

    The official MTS site, MTS invites public for their opinions allows the public to vote and decide how to improve trolley services, to shape the system to become more accessible.

Possible problems in interview

     One problem that I might encounter during the interview process is that the interviewee might feel hesitant to answer certain questions if it is too personal. I will take these into consideration when asking my questions, by asking the interviewee if they are comfortable with answering the questions before the interview begins to record and to rephrase a question. How to calm nerves in interview describes ways to calm nerves in interviews, and even though I am interviewing a friend I am familiar with, it's important to remember that it is still an interview setting therefore I have to ensure I make my interviewee comfortable and remind them that there is no pressure in answering my questions.