By Seth Guible

Santa Fe College is currently in the process of pushing legislation to implement the Transportation Bill. The bill would allow the college to assess a fee of up to six dollars per credit hour to the cost of tuition. The result would be an increase in the arrival frequency of the buses, an increase in bus routes and free router ship. Students would simply have to show their ID‘s in order to ride the bus. Having already been pushed through the Florida House and Senate, the bill is currently awaiting approval by the Governor.

Public transportation is a necessity that a large number of students rely on to travel to and from campus. Currently there are only two buses that provide service at Santa Fe. These buses arrive every hour beginning at 7:00am and ending around 6:45pm. Many students are unable to utilize the many resources the school has to offer simply because of the limited time and routes that the buses are available for. Unlike Santa Fe, the University of Florida has over six bus routes ending between one and two in the morning. All the bus routes at UF travel directly to apartment complexes where a majority of students live. The UF bus schedule also allows students access to a greater range of resources provided by the school such as night classes, clubs and study groups. The implementation of the Transportation Bill at Santa Fe would allow our students the same opportunities and advantages.

Due to the fact that the bill does not force any college in Florida to partake in it, it would serve as an allowance for colleges that do need increased routes and schedules. Though not every student would use the bus, students who do would continue to do so with increased accessibility. A majority of the student body stated that they would use the buses if they had increased routes in order to cut down on expenses such as gas, ultimately saving between $30 and $120 per week depending on the vehicle they drive and the distance they travel. With more students using the bus system, a greater number of parking spaces would also be opened up for students who opted to continue to drive.