A new year, new opportunities and a new CyRide. What a great way to start the school year! Everyone at CyRide is optimistic and enthusiastic about the new school year and we would like to share our enthusiasm with our passengers.

You have probably seen the buses that encourage you to go to class, ride the bus and call your mom or dad. Maybe you have seen the bus that really wishes it was a large bus, or perhaps the buses with music on the roof. This year there is something else that is little bit different – fare-free service for ISU students.

Tuition is up and finances are tight at Iowa State, but CyRide has declared that this will be a positive year for everyone. With the new fare-free system it is easy for everyone to get around Ames and Iowa State – to get to class or work, and shop or play.

There are two simple requirements to ride the bus. One is to show your driver a red student ISU Card and the other is to smile. Yes, we are banning grumpy people from the buses this year. This should be easy. If you feel a strong need to be grumpy, you can drive to campus and try to find a legal parking space. The remedy for morning grumpiness is too simple. Riding CyRide is the easy way to get to and from campus.

Fare-free CyRide allows ISU students easy access to all of Ames. No excuses now on why you can’t get to class on time. Seriously, fare-free rides allow many students who are experiencing stressful financial conditions to remain at Iowa State and be able to participate in work, shopping, or play without the need for an automobile. The money saved by avoiding automotive costs can be used for many other purposes necessary to complete and enhance your education.

Students voted in March 2000 to increase fees by $13.50 per semester over two years. The money generated by the fee increase replaced the farebox revenues, but also was used to fund the Cardinal (Route #21) and the Gold (Route #22) routes and to pay for extra service on other routes.

ISU students are also fortunate to enjoy one of the most beautiful and safe campuses in the United States. One part of the overall campus design is to limit automotive access to Central Campus. A compact, pedestrian-friendly campus allows buildings to be located close together, which minimizes travel and maximizes efficiency in locating buildings.

Many other campuses are plagued with large parking decks that do little to enhance their vitality. A good bus system and well-designed campus complement each other.

Routes are designed to deliver you from your residence to Central Campus. Six primary routes connect most apartment buildings with Iowa State and three circulator routes connect the dormitory and greek areas with campus.

The Cardinal (#21) and the Orange (#23) routes operate at very close intervals, generally with about four to eight minutes between buses. Other routes operate generally at 20- or 30-minute intervals. Three of the routes operate until late evening and on weekends.

There are several free stops on Central Campus. These are designed to provide easy access for everyone – faculty, staff, students and visitors – with a quick trip across campus. The free stops will facilitate boarding passengers more quickly in the afternoons and allow CyRide to move people quickly and safely from campus.

For ISU faculty and staff, the popular half-price semester pass is still available for $50 per semester. This pass is supported by revenues from ISU Parking Systems to reduce parking demand on campus. Wouldn’t it be nice if faculty and staff could also use their ISU Card for free rides?

How do you find out about when or where CyRide operates? Go to the web site, www.cyride.com, for maps and schedules or call us at 292-1100.

Dig out your ISU card and a smile and you can go anywhere.

Bob Bourne

is the director of transportation at Cy-Ride.