It’s 7:30 a.m., and for some, classes are set to begin. A number of students roll out of bed in their residence halls and walk to their first class. A group of cyclists meander across the Quad and crosswalks. There also are a select few who employ the infamous run-walk technique, which occurs when a student wakes up in the nick of time and has to run and walk interchangeably to make it to class on time.
Among this group of walkers and riders is another group making its way to campus a little differently. This group commonly is referred to as the commuters because instead of living on campus, these people have to make it on campus from some off-campus location. Most people think commuters find their way to campus strictly by car. However, there are those taking advantage of another mode of transportation: the LSU bus system.
The LSU Office of Parking, Traffic, and Transportation in conjunction with Capital City Transportation provides a 21-bus transit system financed by student fees.
According to the LSU Office of Parking, Traffic, and Transportation Web site, buses run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m, and two buses cover the night routes from 6 p.m to 11 p.m. On campus, no identification is required to ride the bus. However, when off campus, any LSU student, faculty member, or staff member may ride a Capital City bus simply by presenting a valid LSU ID; this even applies to city routes that do not directly facilitate the University.
Bus stop signs indicate pick-up locations on and off campus. However, a bus also will stop on campus at any intersection the route crosses. According to Officer Lloyd Davis from the Office of Parking, Traffic, and Transportation, routes are easily identified because they are labeled by major area, color and number.
The red route or route one, serves Tigerland. Four buses circulate the Tigerland area, clockwise and counterclockwise, and arrive on campus by way of Nicholson Drive. These buses circle the campus and return to the Tigerland area every six minutes.
Route two is the purple route. Buses run every 20 minutes from the Gardere area to campus via Highland Road. After circling campus, these buses return to the Gardere area by way of Highland Road and Burbank Drive.
Greek area patrons are picked up by buses on the gold route, route three. Every eight minutes these buses run from the Greek areas on Dalrymple Drive and West Lakeshore to central campus locations such as the Union, Rec Center and residence halls.
Buses on the blue route, the fourth route, run every six minutes from the commuter parking lot to areas around campus and to the Vet School.
Aster Street and East State Street, route six, is referred to as the green route. These buses run every nine minutes from Aster Street and Wyoming Street and Nicholson Drive to South Stadium Road, through campus, and ending on East State Street.
Route six, the black and gold route, provides transportation to LSU and Southern University students, faculty and staff members. A valid ID from either school is required to use this route. This bus makes two stops at each university every hour. There are no stops between LSU and Southern University.
Route eight, the Tiger Tram route, is appointed the purple and gold route and is assigned to connect two major commuter lots to central campus locations. Two buses run from the ROTC/South Stadium lots to Forestry Lane and Front Nine Lot across from CEBA. Buses on this route are scheduled to run every five minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
A special route also runs on Sunday. The orange route, number nine, runs hourly between 1 p.m and 5 p.m. from highly populated student areas on and off campus to shopping areas along Acadian Thruway, College Drive and Lee Drive.
The Night Route services Tigerland, Burbank, Lee, Highland and central campus every fifteen minutes. It runs from 6 p.m. until midnight, Monday through Thursday, and from 6 p.m. until 3 a.m., Thursday through Saturday.
Route information also is illustrated on maps produced annually by the Office of Parking, Traffic, and Transportation. These maps along with bus schedules can be picked up at the office from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Students also can access this office online at www.lsu.edu/students under “Campus Public Safety” for more information regarding route information and for a listing of frequently asked questions.
Psychology sophomore Christina Moreno takes advantage of the services offered by CTC. “My apartment complex’s office provided me with the information I needed, so I knew which bus I was supposed to ride to campus. So far, I haven’t had any problems with the system, but if I did, I always could attend one of CTC’s public meetings and voice my concerns.”