New Rt. 1 bus system free for students

In an effort to ease traffic congestion and make areas around College Park more accessible, the county is revamping its public bus system to take university members along Route 1 for free.

The Prince George's County Council initiated the Route 1 Ride project — a rebranding of the current "The Bus" system — in partnership with the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation and seven surrounding municipalities and cities.

According to project coordinator Alex Hirtle, any student, faculty or staff member who shows a university ID can take the Route 1 Ride anywhere from Mount Rainier to the College Park IKEA as many times as desired for free. The Route 1 Ride buses will be designated by a special logo and artist renderings by April 28, which coincides with Maryland Day.

The students' "free ride" will be funded in part by the Department of Transportation Services, which will be charged $1 each time someone from the university uses the bus system. DOTS Director David Allen said the fee for the university is much less expensive than a normal fare, which is a "win-win" that could lead to a positive impact on economic renewal.

"As students have access to business along Route 1, economic development will improve and businesses will be nicer," Allen said.

Vice President for Administrative Affairs Rob Specter said the project will not only ease traffic congestion, but also diminish the environmental impacts of additional automobile trips throughout the city. Specter was quick to praise the collaboration among all involved parties.

"It is just the kind of service that [we] should not only utilize, but support — a partnership among the various municipalities and the university," Specter said.

While the service is free to those with university identification, other members of the community can ride for $1 each way. Hirtle said the goal is to eventually make the service free for everyone.

Many students had mixed feelings on the project, with some wishing it would expand even further and some doubting its effectiveness.

Senior accounting and finance major Drew Carroll said he thinks students will take advantage of the new opportunity for accessibility around the county.

"This needs to be an operation that uses extended hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights because of the potential for high demand from the bar traffic," Carroll said. "It's far more attractive to students who don't have cars on campus."

But senior government and politics major Zachary Crowley said he is not convinced students will gravitate to the improved bus system.

"Some students are just cool with being on campus, but I think graduate students might be more open to the idea," Crowley said. "It will be a problem if people don't know about it."

Ultimately, Crowley's sentiment is precisely what Hirtle said those involved with the project are trying to avoid.

"Not enough people know about the service right now," Hirtle said. "We want to establish the convenience and ease of the system and its effects community-wide."

sinclair@umdbk.com