Catawba College students and residents around the campus have more than six months to prove that they'll use the Salisbury Transit system. This thanks to a new agreement worked out between Salisbury Transit and the College's Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling.
Beginning October 13, 2008 and continuing through May 8, 2009, Salisbury Transit buses will make new stops on Catawba's campus at three convenient sites. These pickup and drop-off sites are located at the corner of Brenner and Summit Avenues (near the College Facilities Office); at the corner of West Corriher and Brenner Avenues (near the College's Music Annex Building); and at the corner of West Innes Street and Summit Avenue (near Hurley Residence Hall). Monday through Friday, the buses will drop off and pick up passengers from these new locations at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. On Saturday, the buses will drop off and pick up at these new locations at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Catawba students riding Salisbury Transit will be able to purchase discounted tickets for 50 cents each by showing their Catawba ID. College officials are currently determining an on-campus location where these tickets may be purchased. Students will be required to show their College ID with the discounted ticket when boarding the buses. College employees and area residents can also take advantage of this new opportunity to ride Salisbury Transit to and from Catawba's campus for the standard fare of $1. The tickets have no expiration date. The Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling will be distributing information about the new Salisbury Transit stops on campus and current routes between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the Leonard Lounge of the Cannon Student Center.
Lisa Cardwell in the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling (part of the Catawba Facilities Department) gave high praise to Salisbury Transit officials for their willingness to provide the additional stops and service to Catawba's campus. "I really think our students will take advantage of this service," she said. "Rising gas costs have a tendency to eat into college students' budgets and Salisbury Transit will provide them with an affordable and safe alternative to get where they need to go."
Cardwell thanked City of Salisbury Transit officials, including Rodney Harrison and Tony Cinquemani, for literally going the extra mile to provide service for Catawba community members. City and College officials will review the ridership numbers at the end of the trial period and decide if the added bus stops at Catawba and the people riding the bus to and from these stops merit continued service. For details on Salisbury Transit routes, including a map of various stops available to riders, visit www.salisburync.gov/transit or call (704) 638-5252.
Cardwell said that two Catawba College students, Corey Darnell and Megan Spidell, both seniors, were instrumental in keeping the dream of Salisbury Transit stops on campus alive. "We simply built on the research that Corey Darnell had begun two years ago," she said. "These two students are the most enthusiastic supporters of this we have on campus and we'll depend on them to rally their fellow students to ride the bus."
Catawba's Director of Facilities, Henry Haywood, said having public transportation options available to students tie directly into many other initiatives underway on the campus. "As an institution, we're constantly looking at ways to decrease our environmental footprint, whether it is making a switch to use green cleaning products or choosing geo-thermal heating and cooling for buildings on campus. Our students can make these same type of choices. They can choose to have less of an impact on their environment simply by taking the bus."
RELATED CONTENT:
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- Bus Route Info ;
- three convenient sites ;
- Map of Stops (PDF) ;
- Salisbury Transit Website ;
- Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling
RELATED NEWS:
The Catawba Business Office offers discounted bus tickets to students who present their ID at $.50 per ticket. Hours are 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday, beginning Monday, October 6, 2008. Tickets can be used immediately after purchase at any Transit stop in Salisbury. The three new Catawba campus bus stops will start Monday October 13th, 2008.
