As previously reported by KnightNews.com, KnightLYNX will be expanding to provide a UCF to downtown Orlando bus route. Some students, however, are questioning the true motive behind spending student money on the expansion.
The bus will operate from 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and travel throughout the UCF community. The bus is open to any rider and will be free for students with an ID and $2 for riders without a student ID.
The expansion of the KnightLYNX route between Orlando and UCF was added last year by the previous SGA administration. They set aside $15,000 for this year from the student Activity and Service Fee. All three KnightLYNX routes are funded by the UCF SGA as a way to provide a safe and reliable public transportation option on and near the university’s main campus. Currently the service is averaging 250 riders per weekend night.
While many consider the new route a great way to get UCF students downtown in a safe, efficient manner, some students worry that the bus’s operation times only cater to people going to clubs and bars downtown.
“I understand transportation to get students to campus during the week for class or work,” student Vanessa Jeannot said in a message to SGA. “But this route and time Fri & Sat from 9p to 11p and pick from 1a to 3a is only going to be used by people who have just gotten out of the club. True, they shouldn’t be driving back home impaired but i don’t want my tuition money & other fees going to support somebody’s club hopping habit”
Many other comments of student opinions, however, are positive, saying that it will cut back on the amount of drunk driving that may occur between the two destinations.
“I think this is a great idea. UF has a bus that shuttles people downtown so it really cuts back on drunk students driving,” UCF Student Andrew Brown posted on a Facebook page.
