|
RIVERSIDE, CA — September, 16, 2008 — Next week, thousands of students returning to class at University of California at Riverside (UCR) will ride the bus for free thanks to a revived partnership between the university and the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA).
RTA Board members recently authorized a one-year extension of the U-Pass partnership, which means the program will enter its third academic year at the college. The agreement allows UC Riverside students to ride any RTA fixed route for free by simply swiping their student identification cards through the bus farebox.
Since its inception in 2006, the program has helped relieve campus traffic, improve parking conditions, and provide students with a no-cost alternative to driving. Last year, UCR students took more than 110,000 free trips on RTA buses, a 57 percent increase from the year before.
“The U-Pass program has benefitted thousands of students by enhancing the way they get around and saving them money,” said RTA Chairman Karen Spiegel. “With a new school year approaching, a whole new class of students will reap the benefits of riding the bus.”
Another feature of the RTA-UCR partnership is a trolley route that serves students living in nearby apartment communities. When the school year ended last June, the Crest Cruiser trolley logged 1,638 boardings that month, a 35 percent increase from the year before. Both the U-Pass program and the trolley are funded by the university.
Over the life of the program, 6,392 different students have taken advantage of the program, according to Mike Delo, the university’s transportation director. “UCR expects that even more students will choose RTA buses this fall as their commute option to campus,” Delo said.
Over the short term, City of Riverside officials are hopeful that the free rides will continue to ease traffic and encourage ridesharing. But over the long term, the program has the potential to expand to other campuses and turn a new generation of students into lifelong users of public transit.
Earlier this summer, RTA partnered with Riverside Community College District to launch the Go-Pass program at its Riverside, Norco and Moreno Valley campuses, making transportation free to more than 30,000 students who attend those campuses.
The Riverside Transit Agency provides public transportation for Western Riverside County, operating 39 fixed routes, 7 commuter routes and Dial-A-Ride service. RTA’s service area spans 2,500 square miles, the second largest in the nation. For bus route and schedule information contact RTA at (800) 800-7821 or log on to our website at www.RiversideTransit.com. |
