by Sean Good
Daily Lobo
Students fed up with UNM's parking situation have another option starting in the fall, a state representative said.
ABQ Ride will offer free bus service anywhere in the city for UNM students beginning Aug. 20. "At that time, all UNM students will have access to any bus route at any time of the day," said Rep. Gail Chasey, UNM area Democrat. "Probably one of the best things is that students don't have to figure out where in the world they're going to park their cars."
Chasey proposed a bill to the state Legislature to get the free service, and it funded the project with $35,000.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Chasey said the service was made free to give more people access to the University.
"I hope that what this does is make higher education more accessible to more people," she said. "UNM has students from all over the state, and we want them all to be able to make it to school for free."
Students can show their UNM ID and get free rides on the regular buses and the Rapid Ride to anywhere in the city, Chasey said.
There will be a direct Rapid Ride bus route from the West Side to Main Campus beginning July 7, said Jay Faught, spokesman for ABQ Ride.
"We have a lot of things going with the free bus rides and the new features for Rapid Ride, and all of our services and updates will be posted on the display board we are purchasing in the SUB," he said.
Riding the bus could save students a lot of trouble, said Cynthia Martin, program planning manager for Parking and Transportation Services.
"Parking is limited, and it can get too congested," she said. "A lot of students that do use parking have to park at a lot somewhere else, and they get shuttled into campus and often wind up being late or missing classes."
Students could save a lot of money by leaving their vehicles at home, Faught said.
"The average commuter in Albuquerque spends anywhere from $7,000 to $8,000 a year by operating their car," he said. "This new service gives the students mobility at no cost, which is a great thing."
Faught said a monthly bus pass for a student is $12 until the free service begins Aug. 20.
Students should also take the bus because there will be less vehicles on the road, therefore less pollution, Faught said.
"It would greatly benefit the environment in reducing the vehicle emissions if more students would take advantage of this opportunity," he said. "Vehicle emissions has really become an issue now, too, with the concern of global warming."
Chasey said riding the bus is safer than driving a vehicle.
"I know people who read the paper and talk on cell phones when they drive, and they are putting others in danger when they do that," she said.
Faught said students can surf the Web on their way to school if they take a Rapid Ride bus, which has wireless Internet.
"So, students can check their e-mail or finish up their homework while they're riding to campus," he said.
Faught said the free bus rides should get more students to use public transportation.
"It makes transportation around town a lot easier and cheaper for students," he said. "I think it will grow in popularity and usage very soon."
