The campus at the University of Arizona is relatively large in size, with many restaurants and activities. In addition the city of Tucson has even more to offer outside the campus limits. In order to make transportation around campus easier, the University provides several trans, each with their own route. The buses provide a shuttle service to and from campus and surrounding areas such as the local grocery store and downtown. The CatTrans at the University of Arizona have many valuable services, but unfortunately they are wasted.
How much does the CatTran Cost?
As the picture demonstrates, Beyond Bread has highlighted its location nearest the University. When students ride the bus they see the close proximity and may ride the CatTran to the restaurant in the future. The phrase, "In Crust We Trust," shows creativity and clearly targets a younger audience. In my experience of riding, I enjoyed looking at the advertisements because it gave me something to do. The advertisements enhance the space, while subsidizing the free transportation.
In response to hearing that the one can ride the CatTran for free, many would make assumptions about the quality of the bus. However the absence of a fee for riding does not represent the quality in any respect.
Clean and Comfortable
The buses clean floors and seats had no visible food or excess dirt on the ground and the windows sparkled with shine. This could partially result from the fact that food, drink, and smoking are all prohibited while riding the bus. This helps to keep the amounts of crumbs and spills to a minimum. However, students still track a fair amount of dirt into the bus on their shoes and the CatTran custodians do a very good job of getting that dirt out. The no smoking, eating, or drinking sign on the bus, also gives a sense of authority to the drivers of the buses. If anyone tries to test the limits, the drivers can point to the sign and ask the student to get off the bus if necessary. This authority is very important, especially on the night cat, since students riding to and from the sorority and fraternity house can sometimes get a little rowdy.The first time I walked on the bus I expected the seats to compare to those found on a yellow school bus from my childhood. In actuality, they bus features individual seats in pairs of two similar to those found on a charter or coach style bus. The impression of dirty and uncomfortable buses most likely comes from a childhood of school buses with low expectations of comfort and cleanliness. Students may not get on the bus to find out the truth of this false opinion because they are unaware of the routes of the buses or because they have alternative methods of transportation around campus.
Most importantly the buses feature “climate controlled” temperatures. On a rainy or cold day, hiking across campus has no comparison to riding the CatTran. The same goes for a hot Tucson day, the CatTran is always controlled to a temperature comfortable for its passengers. With large, open windows and comfortable seats, one can find it difficult not to enjoy the time riding the bus.
Friendly Drivers
With the exception of one driver, all drivers seemed to act incredibly happy and friendly wanting to go out of their way to help their passengers. In my experience, the drivers seemed very aware of who boarded the bus where and tried to help anyone who looked confused. The buses all have signs that say “Please Request Next Stop.” Since many of the stops on the bus routes are only utilized if someone needs to get on or off, this sign helps to prevent unnecessary stopping. By asking people to request their stop, this also encourages communication with the driver. Many drivers will then strike up conversation about the passenger’s major at the university, what they plan to do for the day, or where they come from.
However, some would say that the sign makes it more difficult for passengers to ride the bus. The process may be confusing for a person riding the tran for the first time, especially for someone unfamiliar with the streets in Tucson. It can be hard to tell the bus' location on the map in relation to the desired stop. At this point in time, the drivers can help. They show willingness to help the students find the right stop for them, but understandably this could intimidate an unfamiliar rider. Easily the confusion factor could stop non-regulars from riding the bus.Empty Seats
Unfortunately the CatTran is surprisingly underused. In riding 5 different trans, (purple, mauve, USA, green, and teal) for a full two hours (10:00 am to 12:00 pm), several of the trans had a surprisingly low population riding it. The purple had a full-load of passengers along with the green because their routes go to and from University Medical Center (UMC). However, the mauve, which goes off campus to Safeway and an employee parking lot, only had two passengers. The USA's seats were completely empty, with a fairly long route via 4th avenue to downtown. With that said, a student who wishes to ride the tran and stay on campus can typically expect to wait no longer than ten to fifteen minutes for the on campus buses. The trans that go off campus can have as long as thirty minutes of a wait time. The shuttles run constantly from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm and the night cat runs from 6:00 pm until 12:40 pm with a maximum twenty minute wait time. In riding the CatTran for a short period of time, it becomes obvious that they are underused and perhaps run too often. The people using the empty trans seemed to go from the middle of campus, to somewhere else on campus. It makes sense for these to run empty because classes in the middle of campus aren’t very far from those on the outskirts of campus. The bus cannot go directly through campus, as it must stay on the roads. Therefore it may be faster for students to cut through the middle of campus by just walking or riding a bike. If a student knows they may wait ten to fifteen minutes for the CatTran to arrive, they may chose to walk more often than ride if it is faster. This low usage also has an affect on the overall cleanliness of the bus. Without passengers loading and unloading, dirt cannot be tracked onto the buses as easily.
In my experience riding the CatTran, I validated that this free and clean form of transportation is staffed by friendly drivers, but not used to its full potential. In saying that, for those who utilize it, the CatTran provides an excellent alternative to biking, walking, or driving a car around campus. The question becomes, will the University justify continuing this costly program with such low utilization?
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