Students influence CrimsonRide changes

Several changes have been made to the CrimsonRide system since last semester, after transportation officials looked at feedback from students, said Ralph Clayton, assistant director of Transit Transportation Services.

"We put out information about the upcoming changes before the holiday break," Clayton said. "We are in the process of printing and distributing copies of the new routes."

Clayton said the largest change involved the green route, which was less efficient than the administration wanted it to be. The green buses no longer cover the Publix area of Campus Drive, a change that has made the green route more efficient, Clayton said. The gold 1 route now covers the Publix area before traveling to the Ferguson Center.

"The wait time in the [Coleman] Coliseum parking lot is noticeably shorter, but they are still crowded," said Evan Grant, a senior majoring in advertising. "The route was entirely too long before the change."

The number of stops surrounding the Quad was also reduced. There is one stop on each side of the Quad instead of two.

"The Quad area no longer has stops on each corner. We made them equidistant to reduce the number of stops and needed to complete route," Clayton said. "These changes were made after suggestions from students and feedback forms."

The blue express was another change that resulted from student suggestions. The bus brings students directly from the Student Recreation Center parking lot to the center of campus.

"The blue express seemed pointless to me," said Sarah Cunningham, a freshman majoring in English. "If there was already a green express, then what was the point? It eliminated the blue 2 route."

Clayton said the changes made to the transit system affect many people, and it is impossible to please everyone.

"When we did the blue express we took away the blue 2 route. Some people were upset, but we received a lot of comments in favor of the change," Clayton said. "We look over the suggestions and choose the ones that will benefit the majority and increase efficiency."

There have also been changes made to the weekend transit schedule. Seven buses run on the weekend. Three buses cover the north perimeter and three buses cover the south perimeter. These buses cover the entire campus and do not require students to change buses.

"Quite frankly, we had been asked for something like [perimeter routes]. A student from Tutwiler can just ride one bus to get to [the Rec] instead of having getting on different buses and routes," Clayton said.

The changes can be seen on the transit Web site, and copies of the new routes will soon be distributed on all of the buses.