UTA commuter possibility

A $5 Utah Transit Association (UTA) bus pass can help UVSC students deal with current parking problems and rising gas prices. Yet, only 6,000 have been issued this year as opposed to 8,000 last year.

"Paying $80 for a parking pass sucks," stated student Joyce Jacox, "But when you consider the amount of time you waste waiting for the bus to come and fill up with people, and then if you have to walk across campus to your classes, it’s just a big waste of time."

Jacox used the bus last year, but decided against it this year.

Others believe that the time on the bus can be well spent doing homework or meeting new people, as is the case with student Katherine Daniels. Daniels has bussed from Lehi since she started at UVSC and appreciates the economic benefits in addition to not having to deal with parking.

"If you live outside of Orem, I think the buses would be ideal," a student at the Orem Institute of Religion stated, "But since I live in Orem, it’s a lot easier to just drive to school."

And since he attends institute classes, he is able to park for free in the institute parking lot.

"We have to get more people riding the bus," said Dawn Burgess, manager of Campus Connections. "When people come to me complaining about parking, I tell them to get a bus pass."

Burgess explained that there was an obvious increase in the amount of bus passes sold last year when gas prices reached $3.00 per gallon. However, despite the complaints, she has not yet seen an increase in bus passes sold this year to avoid the current parking situation. Burgess believes a big reason why people don’t ride the bus is because they feel like it won’t be as convenient as having their own car at school.

"I don’t think people realize the buses can take them almost right where they need to go," she explained.

The buses reach destinations from Payson to Brigham City, some stopping hourly at UVSC.