Crimson Ride has been found to be useful by countless students. It includes eight campus routes, seven apartment routes and offers 348 Ride after 10 p.m. The bus welcomes all students, staff and any visitors, free of charge.

There are common occurrences with the bus system, such as how the bus quickly fills up on cold, rainy days. This Tuesday was pouring down rain, making the buses packed tight without enough seats for every person. On the other hand, Wednesday was sunny and the buses were sparsely occupied.

“When it was warm out I would walk, but now I just want to get on a bus,” freshman chemistry major Kristy Brant said. 

“Similar to the US Transit industry, Crimson Ride buses, based on staff observations, see increased ridership when the weather is other than pleasant,” said James Knickrehm, UA associate director of transportation services. “Humans are creatures of comfort and thus seek the mode of transportation that meets that need.” 

The transportation services office does not take records of the weather and amount of bus users, but there is an apparent trend that people like to avoid the weather and take the bus.

According to Knickrehm, in the 2015 school year there was a total of 2,480,780 people who utilized Crimson Ride.

“I use it daily…I love the bus, I love it when the buses play music,” said Jessica Geraci, a freshmen nursing major.

Sophomore elementary education major Heather Reese also enjoys the buses when there is a positive atmosphere.

“Some bus drivers are better than others, I can say that,” said Heather Reese, a sophomore majoring in elementary education. 

She said she enjoys friendly bus drivers who seem like they are happy to be there serving the students.

Though there are people who enjoy taking using Crimson Ride, some prefer to skip out on the bus and just walk.

Amy Reidy, a freshman kinesiology major, said she uses the bus “once a month– I walk everywhere.” 

Other than weather, the time of semester can also impact when people are using the buses.

“Crimson Ride does experience greater ridership at the beginning of each term,” said Knickrehm. 

She said this could be due to the fact that walking becomes easier for students throughout the semester.

Crimson Ride helps to make the UA campus a little smaller for students. It is used by multiple people for different reasons. Many use it to avoid bad weather, while many use it because they enjoy the drivers and the convenience.

For more information on CrimsonRide, call 205-348-RIDE.