For the growing number of out-of-state students who are on campus without a car, there are many options for transportation besides walking or using a bike.
Along with the bus systems, UA students can now use options like Zipcar and Zimride.
“I think even fewer students could bring their cars to campus because Alabama provides many options,” said UA English professor Marsha McSpadden. “It is also a good freshman year experience to not have a car.”
For students who simply need to get around Tuscaloosa, the company Zipcar gives students access to designated cars that stay parked on campus at different locations. Zipcar representative Shani said that, in general, Zipcar allows members the opportunity to reserve cars for as little as one hour up to four days a week, and it is completely self-serviced.
“That means if you need a car at three in the morning, you can reserve it online, pick it up from the location and return it all without filling out any paperwork or talking to a person,” Shani said in an email.
Zipcar also provides special student prices. To begin using Zipcar, simply become a member online with your Crimson email account and decide which payment plan is best. Gas and insurance is included, and the student must be 18. A Zipcar is available to drive around whenever necessary.
For those students who need to commute to nearby Northport or reach a destination like Atlanta, the University has also become involved with a service called Zimride, which provides a network of students who are willing to give a ride to other students for a fee.
“Zimride serves all kinds of students by offering those without cars a new mode of transportation, and gives students with vehicles the ability to split fuel costs by offering their empty seats,” said Zimride representative Curtis Rogers in an email. “There is rarely any dispute on price, because the driver is already taking the trip … and the passenger is usually facing higher prices from traditional transportation methods.”
Students can make an account and then begin searching for potential passengers or cars that fit their needs. Students can also easily connect through Zimride’s Facebook group.
For day-to-day transportation around campus, CrimsonRide and 348-RIDE take students to various different bus stops. CrimsonRide has updated their routes this year to include a Sunday shopping route that goes to Target, Midtown and the University Mall. 348-RIDE operates during the hours that the CrimsonRide does not run. To make it easy to track the buses, students can download the TransLoc and 348-RIDE applications to locate a bus nearest them.
Senior Alison Pursley said when she was a freshman without a car, she eventually learned to use 348-RIDE whenever she could.
“For the most part, not having a car on campus is okay and you can rely on friends to take you wherever you need to go when the buses do not run,” Pursley said.
Emily Ducas, a freshman, said using the buses could be problematic at times.
“The bus system can become too impractical on busy days because it takes so long to get to places like the UA Rec Center,” Ducas said.
Alabama provides several options possible for its students who cannot have a car; students just have to be open to the alternatives.
