2008 Woodie Awards
CARTS offers student transportation
A member of the Salem Mass Transit Unit provides routes in Polk County
George Pike
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Are you tired of the rising gas prices or the cost that it is taking you to get to school? If you answered “yes,” then the solution may be a shuttle bus by the name of CARTS.
CARTS is a division of the Salem Mass Transit System that goes through campus eleven times a day, Monday through Friday. The bus has two different routes in Polk County and both make a stop in front of Werner Center. Polk County Route 2 stops at 6:30 a.m., 10:21 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:40 p.m., and 4:50 p.m. Polk County Route 1 visits Western at 7:55 a.m., 9:25 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 2:17 p.m., 4:17 p.m. and 6:56 p.m.
Single rides on the bus cost $0.85, day passes are $1.70, and month passes cost $22. Annual rides cost $264. Due to the low price of the bus ride and the increasing cost of gas, many students have decided to go this route.
Student Chrystie Cody favors the bus because it is much cheaper than gas.
“I ride the bus four to five times a week, and by riding the bus, I am able to make it here to school without having to drive from Salem,” she said.
Student Jessica Farnes finds the CARTS program to be a lifesaver.
“I can’t drive, so I use this bus everyday to get me around,” Farnes said.
Other students like Laura Fitzgerald favor the increased time available from not having to commute.
“I can sleep, read or watch TV. This is also much cheaper than paying for gas,” Fitzgerald said.
The service began in Polk County in the fall of 1999. Officials with CARTS feel the need for the service is big right now. Cathy Wells, the chair for Polk County Transportation Advisory System, feels that students are able to get the most out of the service even with possible time conflicts.
“The local committee feels that this is a very useful and needed service. Although the frequency cannot always accommodate schedules, the hope is there for the system to grow. Right now the funds are not there for additional routes,” Wells said.
According to Valerie Rux of CARTS, 33,440 people have ridden on the bus in Polk County during the first nine months of the fiscal year from July to March.
“Approximately 39 percent were seniors and people with disabilities,” she said, “44 percent were general public and 17 percent were youth. A large number of riders are commuters and youth who are defined to be 18-years-old and under.”
For those students in need of help with solidifying their drop-off, CARTS offers the Travel Trainer.
“The Travel Trainer helps people with route planning and assist with riding the bus. Her primary target audience are seniors and people with disabilities, but will help anyone needing help,” Rux said.
Dial-a-ride service is also available to riders using the CARTS system. This service works to give the rider a possible additional route not available on the regular schedule.
The CARTS bus rarely runs into bad enough weather to shut down the route. Rux, though, remembers one day last year when a snowstorm canceled the service.
Visit cherriots.org and ohas.org for more information on CARTS and/or the Salem Mass Transit System.