Students cram onto DTA buses
Kate Butler
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News
Numerous students who consider themselves seasoned veterans of the Duluth Transit Authority (DTA), have been surprised by the over-packed busses this year. DTA General Manager Dennis Jensen is "very happy with the student rider total at the end of September," which reached 60,800. Can the increased student rider population be credited to the fact that society has fallen on hard times? Or is it just that students are quickly realizing the convenience of a free ride to and from school without the hassle of finding a place to park?
Junior Tim Wilson has had a vehicle since moving to Duluth almost three years ago and has yet to buy a parking pass. Wilson says he opts to take the bus because it picks him up no more than a block from his house and drops him off right at the school's front door for free, whereas a parking pass would run $140 per semester.
There is always the option of the pay lot, which is $2 cash or $1.50 if a student uses their U-card or has two or more people in their car.
"It costs a lot of money after a while, and a lot of time trying to find a space. Either way, the bus is a lot simpler option, and it's always warm and always free with your U-card and just seems more practical," Wilson said.
Surprisingly, few students considered the "green" advantages to more students taking the bus and cutting down on the number of air-polluting vehicles en route to campus. In an informal survey of student riders regarding whether or not they thought the buses were more packed due to the realization of its environmental benefits, only two out of 10 people considered that to be a factor.
Jensen outlines the DTA's efforts to "go green" by using 5 percent bio-fuel in their buses and introducing four new hybrid electric busses to the system, which is "going to cut down on the air pollution from students driving their vehicles."
Jensen attributes the increase in student riders to three major factors: Congestion, parking and frequency of service.
Junior Tim Wilson has had a vehicle since moving to Duluth almost three years ago and has yet to buy a parking pass. Wilson says he opts to take the bus because it picks him up no more than a block from his house and drops him off right at the school's front door for free, whereas a parking pass would run $140 per semester.
There is always the option of the pay lot, which is $2 cash or $1.50 if a student uses their U-card or has two or more people in their car.
"It costs a lot of money after a while, and a lot of time trying to find a space. Either way, the bus is a lot simpler option, and it's always warm and always free with your U-card and just seems more practical," Wilson said.
Surprisingly, few students considered the "green" advantages to more students taking the bus and cutting down on the number of air-polluting vehicles en route to campus. In an informal survey of student riders regarding whether or not they thought the buses were more packed due to the realization of its environmental benefits, only two out of 10 people considered that to be a factor.
Jensen outlines the DTA's efforts to "go green" by using 5 percent bio-fuel in their buses and introducing four new hybrid electric busses to the system, which is "going to cut down on the air pollution from students driving their vehicles."
Jensen attributes the increase in student riders to three major factors: Congestion, parking and frequency of service.
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