It almost sounds like a dream, not driving through the ever-changing maze of construction and just sit back and let someone else do the work. This is a reality that many students fail to recognize as true. Our student I.D. doubles as a bus pass to get you a ride around campus, and the greater Fort Collins community. Not to mention… it’s completely free.
I’ll be the first to admit that riding the bus doesn’t immediately sound like a very pleasant experience. I’ve had some truly terrible experiences traveling by bus, including a guy coughing up phlegm on the bus window in Honolulu, and drunks arguing loudly on a bus in D.C. It’s reasonable to say that I’m a bit wary of this particular mode of public transit.
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This one is different however. Transfort is an excellent tool for students. The busses are clean, which is a huge perk. Honestly, they are cleaner than my car. The drivers are all friendly and the busses are mostly on time. What I did once out of necessity has quickly become a more pleasant way to start my day. I just pop my headphones and take a morning walk instead of fighting traffic and parking.
I can appreciate that walking 10 minutes to the bus stop, or even riding your bike there since the busses have bike racks, isn’t always going to be convenient. All I’m saying is you can save the $520 they want for an annual parking pass that grants access to lots that seem constantly filled.
Charging as much as they do for parking here is obscene. The rare occasion in which I do drive to campus, I’m always disappointed it costs $10 to park for a day of classes. It may well be that I’m just cheap, but money is tight for many college students.
There’s also the environmental impact to be considered. Factors like runoff and increased demand locally for oil products are also to be considered as well. Another albeit selfish environmentalist reason is the smell. It’s not here yet, the air is still fresh, but as we add more roads and cars to drive on them that’s bound to change. I know I can’t speak for everyone but the fresh air is one of my favorite things about this place.
Of all the resources that are made available to us, this one seems tragically underused. With over 33,000 students registered at CSU last semester the Fort Collins bus transit system logged just 4,083 passengers during the last three months of the year.
So, whatever reason is sufficient for you, make the change. Leave your car parked at home and simplify your life a bit while saving yourself a few bucks for much needed food and beer.
Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by the Collegian or its editorial board.
Menachem Mevashir • May 3, 2017 at 11:33 am
Dear CSU, City Council and Transfort,
I have been following the news about possible Sunday bus service in Fort Collins. I also have seen some articles in the CSU Collegian newspaper that bear on this issue:
Womeldorph: The solution to Fort Collins’ horrendous parking issue
Fort Collins may start Sunday bus service in August
Recently, a Transfort bus driver explained to me that fares only account for 3% of Transfort’s operating costs. CSU adds an additional 10%, while the rest comes from local and federal subsidies.
My questions are these:
(1) If fares are so unsubstantial, why not provide free bus service to the entire community? This would help immensely with traffic problems and also boost the local economy as people find it easier to get around.
(2) Also, concerning CSU’s contribution to Transfort: is this pegged to student ridership? This article claims that only a small percentage of CSU students actually use Transfort: Weston: Students need to utilize Fort Collins transportation
Of all the resources that are made available to us, this one seems tragically underused. With over 33,000 students registered at CSU last semester the Fort Collins bus transit system logged just 4,083 passengers during the last three months of the year.
I don’t know if that is 4083 students in total or per each of the three months. If in total this is a pathetically small ridership of only about 3% of the student population!
(3) Can City Council find ways of collaborating with CSU to promote Transfort ridership among students, faculty and staff?
(4) If student ridership were to increase would CSU pay more to Transfort? Is their contribution based on a per student ridership?
I think all of Fort Collins would benefit immensely if many more students utilized Transfort, and I’d like to see CSU, Transfort, and the City be really pro active about this.
I guess my question really is whether Fort Collins and Transfort have a vested interest in maintaining the current low level of CSU student participation in public transportation. If CSU student ridership were to increase to 33% or even better 50%, would this cause strain on Transfort facilities or would CSU increase its contributions to Transfort in a proportionate amount?
Fort Collins has invested a tremendous amount of money into Transfort, while the rate of utilization by CSU students seems unacceptably low.
What can the city do about this so its investment is not squandered?