New campus transportation

ALIA CARANGELO — Special to Southern News
One student, Shanice Green, said she wishes the new options of transportation being offered this semester were available earlier on in her college career.
She commutes every day from Wallingford for two classes that she’s taking on campus.
“It’s a hassle for me to wake up every morning two hours earlier than my classes so that I have enough time to get ready and make it to campus on time,” said Green, a 22-year-old senior, “and gas prices are really burning a hole in my pocket.”
On Feb. 1, set up in the Adanti Student Center ballroom were five tables providing information on several new ways for students to get around. The Transportation Fair was held to make students aware of the new services being provided, especially for commuters.
NuRide is the new program that Southern wants students to be familiar with. It is a program that the State Department of Linear Transportation runs to help people get to school and/ or work some other way than driving themselves. These means of transportation are called “Greener Trips.” NuRide wants to prevent emissions while saving people money.
“Southern is a big commuter school,” said John Brantley, outreach coordinator for the Connecticut Commuter Services.
This is why NuRide can benefit students here at Southern, he said, because it provides them with more options of transportation. People can create a username and password on www.nuride.com and find other “NuRiders” in their area whom they can carpool with. They can also take public transportation or get somewhere by walking or biking.
NuRiders also choose their preference of whom they’re riding with such as female or male, smoker or non-smoker. Brantley also said members accumulate points which people can redeem in their areas. This includes everything from Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards to trips to Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont.
Monicka Drownzank, also a senior at Southern, was at a table promoting the new U-Pass at Southern. This is the first semester Southern will offer the U-Pass. A U-Pass is a transportation pass that allows Southern students to take unlimited trips during the semester on all CT Transit local buses for free. Students can pick up their U-Pass at the University Card Office located in the Wintergreen building. Drownzank works downtown and says that it saves her “a ton of money.”
“It’s a good idea for when people want to go downtown,” she said. “You can take the bus down there, won’t have to pay for parking and can take it home afterwards. I work downtown and parking is always the biggest hassle.”
Southern also has two Zipcars on campus that were parked outside the student center the day of the fair. Students can enroll for the Zipcar service online. It’s $8 an hour, $66 a day or $35 a year and the cars include gas, insurance and up to 180 miles of travel.
“I think with all the different transportation opportunities we’re offering, people will really benefit. It’s great,” said Carol Wallace, who sponsored the event.