Throughout the month of October, University students, faculty and staff can ride the Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS) buses for free by presenting a valid University photo ID.
"Normally, to ride any route except the trolley, a student has to get a transfer or pay a fare, but in the month of October they can ride for free," said Rebecca White, director of the University's Department of Parking and Transportation.
The University's Department of Parking and Transportation will fund this promotion and will try it again in April, White said.
They will keep track of how many University students, faculty and staff members use the service and then analyze the data to decide whether or not to make this permanent, she added.
The University Transit Service (UTS) currently has five routes, and CTS has 14, so this promotion will greatly increase the area to which members of the University community will have access, White said.
This promotion will also give CTS an idea of what would be a reasonable payment from the University if it were to become a free service for students, faculty and staff, CTS Transit Manager Bill Watterson said.
CTS put on this promotion last October and April, and it was very successful, Watterson said. In April 2006, there were 7,800 more riders than in April 2005--a 400 percent increase.
"What CTS can offer the University community ... is a way to commute into the campus and then back home again," Watterson said. "It's also a way to get access to shopping places that [UTS] doesn't reach."
To learn about CTS bus routes, there are booklets with a shared schedule of the two transit services on every UTS and CTS bus, White said.
College second-year Melissa Hatcher said she has never ridden the city bus, but she has picked up one of the booklets and is interested in trying out the promotion.
"Riding the city bus will give me a chance to see more of Charlottesville, outside of U.Va. and my daily parameters," Hatcher said.
She added that when she was a first year, she felt constrained to Grounds, but this promotion will hopefully enable first-years to explore the city they live in outside of the "U.Va. Bubble."
"I hope a lot of people discover new things in Charlottesville," White said.
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