Student vehicle commuting is one of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases on campus, said Eleanor Ayres, an environmental science and policy major and senior at the University of South Florida.
To the students who currently attend USF and the high schoolers considering starting here in the fall, it’s a well-known fact that the university is considered a commuter school. With more than 30,000 students on the Tampa campus alone, it’s no wonder the greenhouse gas emissions are so high.
In an effort to promote sustainable living and give students more alternatives to get around the huge campus (which is great for those who can’t even afford a car in the first place), USF offers several options. Get in the spirit of Earth Day and check them out:
- Take the bus on campus– The Bull Runner, a biodiesel-fueled fare-free campus bus service, provides service for trips within the campus, as well as connecting to neighborhoods to the east, north and west of the campus, connecting to the HART University Area Transit Center, and providing service to the University Mall. You can also track the bus live!
- Take the bus around Tampa– USF’s U-Pass program averages 31,500 HART rides per month and students ride fare-free and faculty and staff pay just $0.25 per trip.
- Ride a bike– In addition to USF constructing four miles of bike lanes on campus, the university now offers a Bike Share program at Campus Rec. Additionally, bike racks are being provided with every new building constructed on campus and the USF Division of Public Safety provides a Bicycle Anti-Theft Registration Program. Both the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) and the USF Bull Runner Transit provide bike racks on buses. The USF Bicycle Club has also been established by students in the past year
- Carpool– Why waste gas (and gas is money) and pollute the environment when you can reduce your carbon footprint simply by carpooling with students heading the same place as you? The Zimride program helps you offer or request rides for commutes, road trips, and popular events. USF Zimride is provided by the Center for Urban Transportation Research at USF.
- Rent a hybrid– Do you prefer to drive yourself some of the time? At least rent a hybrid. The WeCar program is an hourly car rental service with hybrid cars leased by Enterprise Rent-a-Car. It is available to students, faculty, and staff at very low rates. This car rental service enables commuters, who would otherwise have to drive to campus due to the need to run errands during the day, to leave their cars at home and take transit or some other alternative mode to campus.
Speaking of alternative forms of transportation, if you’d like to see USF President Judy Genshaft ride the Bull Runner on April 20, sign this petition! It needs 1,000 signatures to happen! Joining her will be student body president Cesar Hernandez and USF VP of Communications, Michael Hoad.