Students Demand Free or Discounted Bus Rides

April 6, 2009 by James E. Donaldson

CSCC Students at the COTA Bus stop. Photo by Rob Knode

May 11, 2009 by Rob Knode

CSCC Students wait for a bus at the Cleveland Avenue stop near Mt. Vernon.

Some Columbus State Community College students are in arms as to why they do not get the privilege of riding the local bus system for free or at a discounted rate.
 
The Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, runs buses throughout the greater Columbus area. The Columbus School of Art and Design and the Ohio State University students enjoy a bus pass in which the cost is included in their tuition.
 
“All I have to do is show the driver my [OSU student ID] and I get to ride without cost,” stated OSU student Maria Martinez. “It really comes in handy with the price of gas these days. I get to take full advantage of what the city has to offer.”
 
According to the COTA website, a monthly bus pass cost $62. A monthly bus pass is a pass that is valid all month for unlimited travel on all routes, including local, cross town, and express routes.
 
According to the OSU website, currently enrolled OSU students enjoy unlimited rides on COTA buses. No information on the exact cost of the service is given; however, the website does state that the service is funded by a fee assessed to each Columbus campus student each quarter.
 
The CCAD website states that any currently enrolled CCAD students may ride any COTA buses for free when presenting the driver with your student ID.
 
“The fact that CCAD students and OSU students,” says Sheena McBride, a CSCC student, “get to ride basically for free while [Columbus State students] have to pay the entire cost is what really angers me. I mean, Columbus State is a school made up entirely of commuters. If anybody has a right to free or discounted bus passes it is us.”
 
However, the COTA confusion doesn’t end there.
 
“I can get a monthly bus pass for $60,” stated McBride. “When I had a car, I didn’t drive it that much. I figure I would pay about $50 or $60 worth of gas a month, which doesn’t make that the best deal. Regardless, when I wanted to go to the Short North the COTA website said it would take about 30 minutes. If I am walking to the Short North it is only about a 10 minute walk.”
 
“What Columbus State needs is their own campus area bus system,” said CSCC student and commuter DeShawn Williams. “You know something similar to the OSU CABS busses.”
 
What might frustrate Columbus State students the most is that years ago, CSCC students could ride the COTA system at a discounted price.
 
“We used to have a discount offered to students [concerning bus passes],” stated Kyle-Michael Marable, who works for the Student Activities Office under a Work-Study program. “They took it away for whatever reason. There was a discount on monthly bus passes which I believe the price range was around $45.”
 
Most students did not remember that CSCC students were able to ride for a discount, at one time.
 
“I never knew that we did have discounted COTA fare,” said McBride. “It doesn’t make sense for the school to take it away. Not with the state of this economy and the current price of gas.”
 
Many students feel like they are being treated unjust, or being overshadowed by students to the bigger name Columbus area universities. But the fact is, even smaller universities like Capital University have discounted bus fares.
 
“As a student who commutes on the bus it’s unfair,” said Marable. “Not having a Buck ID is holding Columbus State students back. Accommodations must be made in the future.”
 
Many Columbus State students come to an agreement that a discounted or free bus pass for CSCC students would be welcomed, needed, and enriching to their college experience.
 
“[Free bus passes] would enhance our campus in many ways,” said Marable.