For many students, navigating the CyRide bus system can be a challenge. Aidan Boyer, a junior in agricultural systems engineering, has come to know that it also has the potential for memorable experiences and effective transportation.
One of Boyer’s favorite CyRide memories is when he closed the 25 Gold bus route during the finals week before winter break. As he steered his bus through the chilly December streets, Boyer and his passengers sang Christmas carols as he drove the route’s final lap of the evening.
Here’s what students and residents of Ames need to know to ride CyRide successfully.
What is CyRide?
CyRide is the bus system for Iowa State and the city of Ames. It is a collaboration between the city of Ames, Iowa State University and Iowa State University’s Student Government. Students can ride any of the buses for free by showing their student ID, and non-student passengers can hop on by paying $1 per ride.
CyRide operates 13 fixed routes, which begin at 6:30 a.m. and finish at 1 a.m. CyRide also offers a late-night service called Moonlight Express. The Moonlight Express provides transportation on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.. Additional information on CyRide’s routes, timetables and holiday hours can be found on their website.
How do I find the right bus at the right time?
CyRide recently joined a pre-existing app for various transportation systems called Transit to help riders navigate the bus system. Transit is one of the many mobile apps available to download for access to live-tracking of the buses.
Christine Crippen, assistant director of operations, said it offers several features that the other mobile apps do not provide, including live notifications that inform riders when their bus stop is approaching and when they need to get off. She hopes these new features will help students better identify their bus stops and ease their traveling experience.
“Transit will tell you when to start walking, and it’ll even tell you if you’re walking too slow and you’re going to miss the bus,” Crippen said. “So it’s really handy if you’re not familiar with how to ride, or maybe you have a disability, so it’s difficult to see or to hear announcements being made.”
MyState is another mobile app available to ISU students. It provides live maps, a timetable schedule and a map of each CyRide stop. It also offers campus dining hall menus, the ISU directory and several other student-related features.
Ames Ride is a third option available for riders to download. It is a student-made mobile app that was released onto the Apple and Android storefronts in 2023. The app offers many of the same features as its companions, including live-tracking of the buses, but with the goal of increased reliability for Android users and fewer loading issues.
What do I do once I’m on the bus?
Pull the yellow cord.
“Sometimes it’s hard, and people get kind of freaked out about it, but… like a block before you’re gonna get off the bus, you just pull the cord and the bell will ring,” Crippen said. “That lets the driver know, ‘Hey, I want this stop.’”
Crippen also encourages riders to ask the drivers for assistance if they are unsure about the routes or stops.
Casey Michelson, a senior in mechanical engineering, said many of the CyRide drivers are friendly and have brightened his day on more than one occasion, especially one driver he used to see on the Plum route.
“Every single stop [the driver] would be like, ‘Have a good day… have a good day,’ to everybody with a smile, and be waving as you came on the bus,” Michelson said.
What if I have a bike or a wheelchair?
Each CyRide bus is equipped with the tools to assist riders with bikes and wheelchairs.
Crippen said riders with a bike can utilize the bike rack located on the front of every CyRide bus. The rack contains a pull handle to flip down, which will allow the bike to be placed on a “springy U-shaped holder” that will go over the tire. While riders typically secure their bikes themselves, they can also ask the driver for help if they are unsure of the process.
For riders with wheelchairs, the buses include ramps and lifts to transfer the rider and their wheelchair on and off of the bus.
What if I miss my stop or mess up while riding the bus?
Navigating CyRide for the first time comes with a unique learning curve.
Tempe Borey, an undeclared freshman, and Carly Wiegel, a freshman in event management, were on their way to the farmer’s market in downtown Ames for their first CyRide experience when they mixed up their bus stops.
“It was kind of scary, because we’ve never ridden the bus,” Wiegel said. “We didn’t know which stop, so we did get off a stop earlier.”
“And we did watch everyone get off closer to where we were trying to go,” Borey said.
Michelson said he avoided CyRide at first after seeing a map of the various bus routes. However, he now rides the Orange 23 route most days of the school year to travel between campus and the commuter lot.
“I remember I tried to avoid it like the plague because I was pretty scared of how it all worked,” Michelson said. “But, y’know, once I did it two or three times and got the hang of it, it became pretty easy.”
Isaac Pence, a freshman in business economics, said his first adventure with the CyRide buses was successful, even without the navigation apps or prior knowledge of the routes.
“At first, I didn’t know how it worked, so I just hopped on a bus,” Pence said. “I was trying to get to Walmart. I waited on there for like 30 minutes and eventually I got there, hopped off and somehow made it back.”
Crippen’s word of advice to students is to give the bus system a chance, even if it makes them nervous. She recommends starting with the Orange 23 buses because its route is a closed loop around campus, making it a safe and easy beginner’s trip.
“Rip the band-aid, get on the bus and ride somewhere safe so you can kind of figure it out,” Crippen said. “For example, jump on at Kildee, ride around to Friley, and jump off, and you’ll see how easy it is.”
