This semester I more than doubled the number of times I have taken the bus (4 times this semester, 7 times in the last five years). Why this explosive growth in my personal bus travel? Could it be those sleek new hybrid buses? Perhaps. Could it be a wavering in my love for the bicycle? Absolutely not. I attribute my increased ridership to the Jack Pass, Humboldt State University’s universal transit pass.

For the first time, Humboldt State University students have unlimited bus access from Scotia to Trinidad on the Redwood Transit System (RTS), Eureka Transit Service (ETS), and Arcata & Mad River Transit Service (AMRTS). Students can ride for free to Moonstone Beach for rock climbing, to downtown shopping in Eureka, or to commute to school from their homes in McKinleyville, Eureka, Fortuna, Trinidad, or any other town served by RTS.

In the last edition of the Community Wheel, we reported successfully getting Jack Pass through the bureaucratic hoops and making it real. Now, four bus rides later, I would like to update readers on the success of the Jack Pass.

For the month of September 2007, RTS reported 9,506 Jack Pass passenger trips. Since trips by HSU riders were not always separated out in reports for 2006, we cannot precisely say how much HSU ridership has increased, but Green Wheels estimates that the number of HSU passenger-trips has approximately doubled. In October 2007, RTS reported an overall 30% increase in passenger trips, compared with October 2006.

Not only has ridership increased thanks to the Jack Pass, but bus services have improved for everyone thanks to new riders and revenue. You can check out the expanded Monday – Friday service schedule, the Monday – Thursday supplemental schedule, and extended Saturday schedule online at www.redwoodtransit.org. Next semester the Jack Pass will also include service to Willow Creek.

Aside from additional routes, students are benefiting from less expensive commute options, increased parking availability, and a cleaner environment associated with getting single-occupant vehicles off the roads. HSU Parking and Commuter Services reported 1,691 parking permits sold during the 2004-2005 semester. Even with increased enrollment, 526 fewer permits were sold during the 2006-2007 semester. While the exact numbers on parking demands have yet to be completed, Steve Sullivan, HSU Parking and Commuter Services manager, notes the general trend of more available parking. “The lots are filling later in the mornings,” Sullivan says.

The Jack Pass comes at a good time. After all, parking permits will continue to get more expensive, gasoline prices will continue increasing, and threats of global warming will only grow. Robert Sager, an HSU liberal studies major, and a daily Jack Pass user, commutes by bus because of high gas prices and limited parking.

The Jack Pass is accomplishing its goals, providing students with a more sustainable commuting options and opportunities to explore their communities, increasing bus services for everyone, and paving the way (or not paving, as the case may be) for future transportation programs. It also has helped HSU follow its mantra of “Learning to make a difference.” Michael Reilly, Associate Vice President for Enrollment at HSU said, “I’ve talked about Jack Pass to audiences of prospective and entering students, highlighting it as an example of HSU’s environmental leadership and student-initiated programs.”

There is still much to be done to increase ridership and create better opportunities for people to use sustainable transportation. Green Wheels is working for improved transit in Humboldt County, and hopes that HSU will add other services like Blue Lake Rancheria Transit Service to Jack Pass. Green Wheels would also like to see other communities, neighborhoods and businesses implement universal bus passes, like HSU’s Jack Pass. Contact Green Wheels if you would like help developing such a bus pass program.

Addressing staff and faculties needs is also a priority for Green Wheels. The Jack Pass allows staff and faculty the option to buy into the program for $60 per semester (the higher cost for staff & faculty is due to the fact that it does not benefit from the same subsidy built into the mandatory student-fee funded portion of Jack Pass). This semester four (yes four) faculty and staff took advantage of the opportunity to purchase a Jack Pass. This could be in part due to the $54.00 per semester parking fee staff have thanks to the union ($81 less than general parking fees).

It’s been a gratifying experience for the Green Wheels team to see the Jack Pass through to completion, and see the consistently positive response for this sustainable transportation initiative. “I love [the bus]. It’s like a free taxi service; I can drink my tea, get transported to school, look out the window and enjoy myself,” said Beckie Menten, an HSU graduate student and energy specialist with the City of Arcata. “I commute by bus because it is one way to curb our reliance on non-renewable, polluting resources. This is my way of saying no to global warming and oil wars.”