This article appeared in the Lumberjak on Sep 5, 2007.

Transit program student-driven victory

By: Jocelyn Orr

Posted: 9/5/07

Jack Pass is a bus pass program that provides unlimited access for students to travel from Scotia to Trinidad, and in Arcata and Eureka, by showing a valid student ID card.

The hope is that Jack Pass will encourage mass transit which decreases overall fuel consumption and helps fight climate change.

"Overall, it's helping to protect our environment," said Paul Mann, Humboldt State's Senior Communication Officer.

Additionally it helps protect students from parking fees and car expenses.

Jack Pass is the result of the vision, and action, of Chris Rall, Executive Director of Green Wheels at the Northcoast Environmental Center, Aaron Antrim, Outreach Director of Green Wheels and the founding members of the Alternative Transportation Club which is now known as Green Wheels.

Sara Dykman, Green Wheels President at Humboldt State said getting the Jack Pass policy approved, "was a couple years of [Antrim and Rall] pushing hard."

"It took persistent pestering from 2003 on," Rall said.

Antrim and Rall met with campus administrators and transit authority officials for several years working out the details of the policy.

The rest of Rall's vision is to eventually have a car share program available for students and a transportation committee with a student majority that would ensure that students have a voice in decisions made about the Jack Pass program.

This committee, although it was part of the policy proposed, has not been established yet.

Rall sees Jack Pass increasing access to campus, reducing the parking crunch on campus and preventing parking structures from being built.

The Jack Pass has been a huge success, he said. "We are thrilled that it's finally up and running."

Dykman encourages everyone to try riding the bus three times a week.

"It's free and it means you can leave your car at home," she said.

Using public transportation has become easier. The frequency of Redwood Transit System buses has increased and for those with access to the internet, bus schedules are available on the Humboldt Transit Authority Web site.

Bus schedules can be viewed online and downloaded to iPods, mobile phones and PDAs.

The Redwood Transit Trip Planner uses Google Transit to ease the task of getting from Point A to Point B. Type in a location and a destination and Google Transit will indicate what time the bus comes, where transfers occur and how far of a walk to the next bus stop.

Yolander Stoneham, a social work senior, has an an internship in Eureka this semester. Stoneham carpools to her internship but was excited when she learned that Redwood Transit System is now subsidized for students.

"I can use this [Jack Pass] as a back-up now. Before I used to ride the bus to Eureka for $1.90, just to go to the mall or something. I seldom went there though," Stoneham said.

The Jack Pass currently offers subsidized services on the Redwood Transit System (RTS), Arcata & Mad River Transit System (A&MRTS), and the Eureka Transit Service (ETS).

Dykman hopes that in the near future the Jack Pass program will cause the frequency of buses to increase further and expand the subsidized service to include Willow Creek and Blue Lake.

Humboldt State students pay for the Jack Pass through the recently increased Instructionally Related Activities fee. A portion of the fee - $15 - goes to the Jack Pass program.

During an unofficial student vote during Associated Student elections last spring, 75 percent of students voted for the Jack Pass.

Faculty and staff can buy a Jack Pass for $60 a semester. The pass is valid for the whole semester, until the beginning of the next term.

If students, staff or faculty wish to use the Jack Pass over the summer, but are not enrolled in summer classes, they can do so at an opt-in rate of $45.

"The bus should be able to service the needs of the students," Dykman said, "The students voted for it and we got what we voted for."

Jocelyn Orr can be reached at jocelyn.orr@gmail.com

LINKS

Humboldt Transit Authority

GreenWheels