As the University of Alabama campus has grown in recent years, the on-campus transportation has done a fine job of expanding its services. Since its full service establishment on August 11, 2007, the Crimson Ride has transported the growing number of students across the University of Alabama’s expansive campus ("Crimson Ride").
This school year, many students have found the Crimson Ride to be both complicated and frustrating in their everyday lives. If more buses were added and the bus routes were simplified, the campus could indeed become a full bus-riding campus.
As the semester has gotten into full swing, many new students have begun wondering about the Crimson Ride and its various routes. Many, if not most, students are now finding out the complicated nature of the system. There are Gold lines, Crimson lines, Green lines, as well as, Expresses, one’s, two’s, and a few more for students to go through and make sense of ("Crimson Ride"). It can be quite daunting to discover not only the bus names, but also the actual routes and stops.
Also, there are no signs displaying each bus route at the stops, so students must research all the routes before they even set foot on a bus ("Crimson Ride"). This can be quite an inconvenience for many students, who only have limited free time while in college. Riding the various buses and getting lost on campus is not usually high on most peoples’ agendas.
In addition to the Crimson Ride’s complicated nature, the buses can also be quite frustrating. With the recent influx of students at the university, it can often be quite a hassle to wait for buses. With more students to drop off, and no officially timed routes, it is not unusual to wait upwards of thirty to forty-five minutes for a bus ("Crimson Ride"). This can be quite inconvenient when students only have so long between classes.
In an interview, a student, Amber Atkins, said that she "never rode the Crimson Ride between two close classes because of its unreliability" (Atkins). It is also not uncommon to see many buses packed full of students. Rainy days are the worst, with long lines and jam-packed buses.
Back in August 2008, the two-millionth person took a ride on the Crimson Ride ("Crimson Ride Reaches"). Both SGA and the University of Alabama staff celebrated this large feat in great fashion. With even more students attending Alabama this calendar year, that number is sure to go up drastically. With the large number of students riding the buses daily, no wonder it takes much longer to get anywhere on campus.
As far as dealing with these setbacks, there are two solutions that would help to further the Capstone’s idea of a bus-riding campus.
The solutions represented are the addition of new buses and simplifying the transit system. Each of these ideas would aid in furthering the Crimson Ride’s system and would bring in countless more student riders.
If additional buses were added to the transit system, the Crimson Ride would become much more efficient. Not only would there be a shorter wait time, but the buses could accommodate more students at a much faster pace. Students would not have to worry about the time between classes or waiting eternally at a bus stop. The new buses would allow breathing room, and the opportunity for even more growth, while also delivering students to their destination in a timely manner.
With over 13,000 students riding the buses each weekday, this would definitely be a great solution to the time sensitive problem ("UA makes changes").
The Crimson Ride could also be improved by simplifying the system. Since all of the colors and numbers are throwing people off into confusion, why not try to address the problem? A way the transit system could be simplified is by using some of the ideas of 348-RIDE Express. Instead of using confusing title names, just simply state where the buses stop. The 348-RIDE Express buses clearly state that they travel from Tutwiler, Burke, Fraternity row, Gorgas, and various other convenient locations ("348-RIDE Express"). If the original Crimson Ride would put these routing designations into use, more students would come to understand the bus system. There would no longer be those students who would shy away from the Crimson Ride.
In conclusion, the growth of the University of Alabama’s campus in recent years has caused many students to find the Crimson Ride both complicated and frustrating. With overcrowded buses and intricate bus routes, many students have shied away from the system, hoping to avoid its unreliability. These problems could easily be solved, through the addition of new buses and the simplification of the transit system. These changes could allow for a further expansion of our growing campus and also transport numerous students across campus in a timely manner. With these actions being taken, countless more students would begin to use the Crimson Ride, thus making the University of Alabama more of a bus-riding campus.
Sources:
•
"348-RIDE Express"" The University of Alabama SGA. The University of Alabama. Web. 13 Oct. 2009.
•
Atkins, Amber. ""Crimson Ride"" Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2009.
•
"Crimson Ride." Auxiliary Services. University of Alabama, 2007. Web. 12 Oct. 2009.
•
Gable, Jessie. "Crimson Ride reaches two million rider mark." Tuscaloosanews.com. Tuscaloosa News, 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 13 Oct. 2009.
•
"UA makes changes to improve bus system." TUSKmag.com. Tuscaloosa News, 30 Nov. 2007. Web. 12 Oct. 2009.
