Radford students push for extended late bus hours
When Ashley asked how RU weekend transportation compared to that of Tech, Hillary found that all she could offer were bus rides that ended at 10 p.m.
Hillary Barnes, junior recreation parks and tourism major at RU, soon began an effort to extend the Tartan Transit late-night bus hours.
"The main focus of this is the safety of students," Barnes said. "It's not just to have a drunk bus. It's to have a safe way back so students don't have to walk by themselves late at night."
Unlike the Blacksburg Transit, which runs until 12:45 a.m. Mon.-Thurs. and 2:45 on Fri. and Sat., the Tartan Transit campus loop runs only until 10:00 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and the city loop doesn't run on weekends at all.
Barnes explained that extended late bus hours would increase safety for students and give them an alternative to walking alone late at night.
"I contacted the president of the (RU) SGA, Regis McKoy, and I met with him about three times and got to talking," Barnes said. Working in collaboration with the SGA, Barnes helped to get the extended late bus hours effort in motion.
A forum about extending Tartan Transit hours will be held on Oct. 27 and will be attended by higher administration, city officials, and someone from RU's parking services. Barnes also said that a few police officers interested in the effort will be in attendance.
"It's important to have (extended bus hours)," she said. "The forum is the next step."
Blacksburg, in addition to its late BT hours, is also home to the well-known Hooptie Ride, which decorates the town with its brightly colored, themed vehicles.
Students may smile in amusement as the Mystery Mobile or the new Yellow Submarine and Suburban Safari drive past, but on weekend nights, those smiles are usually of relief as they offer a convenient alternative to drinking and driving.
"Just so happens being near a college town, lots of people need a ride if they can't drive themselves," said David Robinson, Tech alumnus and founder of the Hooptie Ride.
Robinson said that designated driving has always been a staple of the Hooptie Ride. Robinson founded the Hooptie Ride in 2001.
"It was a combination of things that made me start the Hooptie," he said. "It was a need for service, especially on nights and weekends. It's a big party town and modes of transport were lacking."
To further encourage late-night safety, the Tech police department sponsors Safe Ride, an escort service that runs from dusk until dawn. Those who want an escort during these hours may call for transportation or a walking escort.
Kathy French, administration program support at Tech and stationed at the Tech police satellite office at War Memorial Hall, said Safe Ride has a 10-passenger van and offers escorts. The program does not refuse escort to anyone and callers usually vary from people who don't want to have to walk across campus in the cold to students who party on weekends and need a ride home.
"Safe Ride was mostly set up for safety and for the safety of the campus," French said.
