University students Elise Ripley and Ansley Nelson finally gave up on LSU parking, deciding to take advantage of the brand-new, state-of-the-art buses now rolling around campus.
On the new buses, which the University purchased for the 2016-2017 school year, students can enjoy greater rider capacity and USB ports allowing them to charge their phones. Cameras built into the buses can also monitor student and driver behavior.
Besides the technological improvements, the new buses also contain physical traces of Tiger pride.
“I love the fun little patterns in the inside of the buses,” Nelson said. “They are LSU-themed and show some school spirit.”
The buses, which cost roughly $500,000 a piece, made their debut on campus in early June.
Indiana-based company Glaval Buses and California-based ElDorado manufactured the new buses.
The University signed a new contract in the spring with First Transit Bus Company to manage the new fleet. Other companies bid on the project, but Senior Director of LSU’s Office of Parking & Transportation Services Jeff Campbell said First Transit offered the best service and best price.
The contract will last for the next 10 years, but Campbell promises some updates will be made before then.
Campbell estimates nearly 110,000 students take advantage of the bus system per month.
“It is much easier to just get on a bus,” Ripley said. “It takes me straight to class and gets me pretty close to anywhere I need to go on campus.”
With Ripley living in a sorority house on the east side of campus and Nelson living off campus, the two friends agree the bus system is a saving grace.
“You do not have to worry about parking at all,” Nelson said. “Riding the bus just cuts down on the time it takes to get to class.”
The LSU Tiger Trails bus system operates with 15 different routes. The bus travels down Burbank and Ben Hur, all the way downtown, to the vet school, into the Garden District and through Highland and Nicholson. The buses run on gamedays, late nights and Sundays.
In January, Tiger Trails introduced Campus Transit OnDemand, a new feature allowing students to request a ride from Campus Transit via the LSU app.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Michael Palmer

The new fleet of LSU Tiger Trails buses on Sunday Aug. 28, 2016, on LSU campus.