CyRide will be helping students get home for the holidays for the first time this year.

CyRide is running to the Des Moines International Airport for three days during finals week from Dec. 17-19. Buses will make four trips daily.

For students returning to Iowa State after break, CyRide is scheduled to run five times a day from Jan. 8-10. The cost is $10 one-way for ISU students and $15 for non-students. Bob Bourne, director of CyRide, said CyRide receives numerous calls each day for transportation to the Des Moines airport.

“We get lots of requests from people who are flying out,” Bourne said. “We’ve decided the best way to get information [on a program like this] is to try it.”

Bourne said the holiday season is the busiest time of year at the airport. He also said it’s a time when CyRide gets the most requests for transportation to the airport.

Bourne said this program will provide a valuable service to students who need help getting home.

“There are a lot of people who have a lot of trouble getting to the airport because there aren’t a lot of easy ways to do it,” Bourne said. He said this system will be more convenient for students who would normally have to take a Greyhound bus and taxicab to get to the airport.

“A one-seat, direct ride is much more convenient,” Bourne said.

Bourne said there has been quite a response to this new program.

“The first day CyRide ran an ad for it in the Daily, we got 25 calls,” Bourne said. “If we get 25 people riding in a day, we’re making a profit.”

If CyRide makes a profit from this program, Bourne said it will most likely be repeated for spring break and next year’s holiday season. Bourne said all driving for this holiday program will be done by supervisors, but more drivers will be scheduled next year if the program succeeds. Anyone with questions about the program can contact CyRide at 292-1100.