Expect more of this if Chapel Hill Transit is made fare-free.
It's ironic that a letter regarding the overcrowded U-bus appeared in the same paper as an article announcing a referendum for fare-free busing (Jan. 24). Currently, the two campus shuttles are the only free buses. They also are crowded virtually all day long and frequently run behind schedule.
Could it be the two are related? People ride the U-bus for a few stops, especially if there's bad weather or their feet are tired. That's fine for a route which goes in a circle all day.
But imagine if the entire system were free. Nobody living more than a block away would bother to walk if a bus were approaching. Would Mill Creek Condominiums or Town House Apartment students continue to walk a half-mile if they could catch the bus at no charge?
Generally, once the bus gets to within a mile from campus, it doesn't make any stops until downtown. How long would it take to ride to Timberlyne or even Shadowood Apartments if the T-bus stopped at every single stop along Airport Road? How frustrating would it be if it was full when it reached Sitterson Hall and passed you by?
I'm not going to argue how unfair it is to make nonriders pay by shifting some of the costs onto city taxpayers and on-(or near-)campus students. Nor will I discuss the economics behind how rents might go up as zero transportation costs make distant apartments more desirable.
I'm simply suggesting the quality of service now experienced on the two fare-free routes is probably what we can expect if we make the entire system free. Consider it costs $7.81/week for a bus pass ($250 divided by about 32 academic weeks), likely cheaper than the cost of gas if you drove everyday.
On Feb. 13, you decide whether commuting longer to get to class -- or not getting there at all -- outweighs the extra pizza money each week.
Just remember: You get what you pay for.
