Washtenaw Comm College expands transit options

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

Leaving the Washtenaw Community College campus is about to become a bit easier this spring now that the college has signed an agreement with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to provide free bus rides for students and staff.

Starting on May 10, any student or staff member of Washtenaw Community College will be able to leave the campus on an AATA bus for free with a swipe of their college ID card. Bus riders are still responsible for paying their fares to get to the campus.

The new program is similar to one implemented by the University of Michigan a few years ago. However, that program provides free bus rides for students and staff on all AATA routes. The idea behind both programs is to lessen congestion around the respective campuses by providing more transportation options.

Washtenaw Community College, a commuter based campus between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, has experienced a transportation crunch in the last year as enrollment has gone up. Overflowing parking lots have become a common sight during peak class hours during the work week.

That has prompted the college's leaders to look for more answers beyond the traditional add more parking solution. Among those are a commuter lot, bus passes and helping facilitate more alternative transportation methods, such as bicycling. The college is also looking at building a parking deck, but those plans are moving slowly with no construction start date in sight.

"We're still in the design and planning stages," says Janet Hawkins, a spokeswoman for Washtenaw Community College.

Source: Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to and Janet Hawkins, a spokeswoman for Washtenaw Community College
Writer: Jon Zemke