Collegiate Times

Whether it be a test at the Math Emporium, or a trip to Wal-Mart in Christiansburg, students very often find themselves with a need to leave campus for various errands and activities.

The Blacksburg Transit is a public transportation service provided by joint operation between the Town of Blacksburg, the Town of Christiansburg, and Virginia Tech, with a fleet of 33 buses and 11 vans providing fixed route and accessible transportation to those needing it throughout Blacksburg.

For students, fare is prepaid as part of the semester fees; for non-students and those without a Hokie Passport, the fare is $0.50.

During the academic semester, most routes run from about 7 a.m. to approximately 10 p.m or midnight on weekdays, and select routes offer a "late night" service on Fridays and Saturdays until 2 a.m.

The buses operate on a rigorous schedule, dictated by timechecks at certain stops of particular geographical interest, such as Burruss Hall, and intermediate stops that must be covered between the timechecks. Usually, the buses will arrive several minutes early at a timecheck, where they then wait until the scheduled time before departing. However, for the intermediate stops, there is no fixed timing, and it is advisable to be at the bus stop slightly earlier in anticipation of an early arrival.

As to be expected from public transportation, there is certain etiquette that is expected from riders. There is no consumption of food or drink, as well as no smoking or open alcoholic containers. Disruptive behavior is not tolerated, and the bus driver reserves the right to remove disruptive passengers from the vehicle without refund of fare.

A route of particular interest is the Two Town Trolley, which runs between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. This year, Christiansburg is expanding its routes to cover more locations in the town of Christiansburg.