It was announced this past week that the University at Buffalo, in conjunction with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), will be offering passes for the University Unlimited Ride program on a voluntary basis to students next semester. The pass will cost $25 a semester—in contrast to the hefty $66 a month price tag of the publicly available All Zone Metro pass—and give students the unlimited use of the entire Metro bus and rail systems.
So, what does this mean for you? Well, that really depends on what you guys plan on doing with them.
First off, the carless among us will finally be able to get off this industrial wasteland known as a suburban campus and into the city of Buffalo. Contrary to popular belief, there is actually a point in our fair Queen City where the strip malls and Wal-Marts give way to an honest-to-goodness urban landscape with real culture and life.
Should you choose to venture out of the Ellicott fortress and into the real world, you will be greeted with a bustling downtown area that—despite its economic woes—has a lot to offer you.
Neighborhoods like those that surround Elmwood Avenue and Allen Street have a variety of niche shopping, restaurants, and activities at a reasonable price—not to mention the best bars in Buffalo. The areas around Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street also offer their own group of dining and drinking establishments—albeit at slightly more upscale prices.
Add those to the access to Buffalo’s many sporting and cultural events that take place year-round, and living at the University at Amherst becomes much more bearable. Almost pleasant, really. Almost.
But non-drivers are not the only students who can benefit from this program. Commuters with the luck of living on one of NFTA’s many Metro routes—hello, residents of the University Heights—can benefit greatly from the pass as well.
I’m not going to sit here and go all Bonnaroo on you kids, talking about the environmental benefits of driving less, but what I am going to point out is the incredible amount of money you will save by participating in the program.
Think about it: every time I go to the gas station, Exxon Mobil ganks about $35 of my parents’ hard earned cash out of my wallet. Now, assuming that I fill my tank every week, and there are about 16 weeks to a semester, that’s roughly $560 down the drain each semester. I dunno, adding five minutes to my morning commute for half a grand sounds like a decent tradeoff for me—not to mention the fact that finding a parking spot on a Tuesday morning will no longer feel like the hunt for Jimmy Hoffa.
But let’s get down to brass tacks here. What’s the single best part of this new program for you? The late night service.
In a Friday phone conversation with Chris Austin, the transport coordinator for Parking and Transportation Services, I was told that UB’s late night bussing “will mirror the services” of schools like Buffalo State, though “the exact logistics haven’t been worked out yet.” This means that when you’re out at the bar and feel like heading home to pass out/hook up, your options are no longer limited to calling an expensive cab, having a friend drive, or drunkenly swerving your Chevy back to campus; you can just hitch a ride on the ol’ NFTA bus. For free. Sounds like a good deal, no?
So, the ball’s really in your court. Applications and informational brochures for the program should be available now at the Student Union information desk, the Parking and Transportation offices (102 Spaulding and 104 Harriman), and on all buses and shuttles.
Oh—and by the way—props to all of those involved in making the University Unlimited Ride program happen—UB administration, SA, and the NFTA. And on a personal note, thanks for finally getting around to doing this just as I’m leaving the university.
Cheers,
Christopher Ahearn
