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MTC offers free rides
 Media Credit: Adam Masloski Free bus passes are handed out at Mainstreet on Wednesday as part of the new free bussing program.
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Now that students have moved in and settled on campus they are going to want to get away as much as possible.
The MTC Metro Bus Service is now making it easier and certainly more affordable to get off or around campus because this year its services are free. Last year, students who needed and wanted to use the bus system had to buy a semester pass for almost $40. Now students and faculty only need a valid St. Cloud State ID card.
"All they need to do is have a student ID, slide it through the fair box and it's a free ride on any route in our system," said Jill Justin, a dispatcher for MTC.
Why did this all become possible? Parking has been an issue on and around the SCSU campus. To add, people have not been taking advantage of using public transportation because of money or inconvenience. St. Cloud and MTC are hoping that providing the service for free will help solve the parking problems that have plagued the campus for years.
"There are so many parking problems down here, but with busses it's not an issue," Justin commented.
Tom Cruikshank, Director of Planning for MTC also agreed.
"It will get more students to leave their cars at home and help reduce some of the pressure on the parking system here," Cruikshank said. "It will help the campus be more pedestrian friendly."
So who's going to be paying the money that is made every year in bus passes and fares? MTC and SCSU have struck a deal together where they will split the cost for one year, and if successful, the plan is to have the university will pay 100 percent the next year.
"Because people are riding for free there is a loss of revenue," Cruikshank explained. "So we calculated what that revenue loss was going to be and we split it 50/50 with St. Cloud State. We also have a similar agreement with the technical college."
To help make up for the loss of money, students must purchase a city permit to park on campus and city streets. Students may possibly see a small increase in student activity fees and other events next year to help cover the cost as well, but the change will not cause public fares to go up.
But the big question is will this experiment be worth it? Right now everyone is thinking yes.
Katie Lozser is a senior Public Relations major who actually helped campaign the idea last year as part of one of her classes and believes the free rides are a great idea.
"I definitely think it will be successful this year. I rode it last year, even when it wasn't free and this morning was the first time I rode it and noticed a full bus," Lozser said. "If the school can find a way to fund this, I think it will definitely be a program that would last."
Mike Curtin, an SCSU student, did not have as good an experience as Lozser on his first day using the free ride system but he is still confident that it will work.
"They forgot to pick me up this morning; they didn't take the right route, but I plan on taking it again," he said.
One thing everyone agrees on is that having something for free is always a good way to get peoples� attention and be successful.
"It's free, you can't complain too much," Curtin said. "Even when they don't pick me up I still can�t complain that much."
Cruikshank has no worries that students will take advantage of public transportation now more than ever.
"It will certainly be successful, I think," he said. "Anytime something is free you are going to have people who will use it."
For information on routes and schedules, people can go to�www.stcloudmtc.com�or call 251-RIDE.
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