With over half a million passengers, it must be good. It is not secret that transportation around campus is hassle. Parking passes cost anywhere from $353 to $568, prices for motorcycle parking are $116. Finding a parking spot in one of the seven garages or lots on campus is a timely process. Once drivers do find a spot, they are subject to various restrictions and will end up with a pricy parking citation. The Cat Tran, the shuttle at the University of Arizona is supposed to provide students and faculty with reliable and easy transportation. Safe ride is another transportation alternative that offers students free rides on weekday evenings. Even with all of these options, it still seems that commuting to and from campus could be made easier.
           By sophomore year, most students live off campus in surrounding neighborhoods. Even if these students have cars, getting to school is a challenge. Although the U of A did achieve silver-status as a bike friendly campus according to League of American Bicyclists, cyclists still face a number of issues. With temperatures reaching triple digits for a significant part of the school year, biking is not always practical. Walking falls into the same category and is much more timely. Perhaps commuting could be made more efficient by the school’s parking and transportation services.
           The most logical option would be to expand the boundaries of the Cat Tran and/or improve the Saferide system. Perhaps the Cat Tran could add more lines that service residential areas. Safe ride’s boundaries are Grant road to the north, country club the east, Broadway to the south and Stone to the west. If these boundaries applied to the Cat Tran not only would commuting be easier thus improving class attendance and lessening the financial burden of driving. Students would be safer at night because they are not as vulnerable. In addition, this would ease the burden on Safe Ride, which only has 12 vehicles (3 of which are not in service) and can only transport 3 students at a time. Unfortunately, this would be an incredibly costly venture. Safe ride is run by the Associated Students of University of Arizona, but is funded by the student services fee. The new 47% tuition hike mostly accounts for technology and health and recreation fees, little of which is attributed to transportation. For now students and faculty will just have to sweat it out or pay up.Â