09.14.2012 - Entry #5: Getting Around in the Neighborhood

One of the many RTC buses

As a brand spanking new eighteen year old, fresh on my own way out in Northern Nevada, I find that public transportation is a key part of my life. You can't rely on friends all the time after all and walking everywhere quickly becomes tedious and bothersome. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to get around, especially if you live on campus. For example, I often take the Sierra Spirit whenever I need to head to the Post Office or when I'm volunteering at the Kiwanis Bike Program because not only does it come every 10 minutes, but it's absolutely free. And as a poor college student where anything over free is expensive, not having the obstacle of expense is a nice incentive to ride the Sierra. Unfortunately, the Sierra doesn't have a large route, and so I still do a fair amount of walking as generally, I'll the ride the Sierra as far as it'll go and then get off and walk the rest of the way. Another means of public transportation around campus that I've yet to use are the University Shuttles, which I see often enough and maybe use after I map out where all the shuttle stops are. Finally, there's the standard RTC bus, which route always passes by the University and travels much further than the Sierra or Shuttle. For any college student on a budget, it's always good to know how and when your local public transportation operates as they're usually very reliable and more affordable than owning a car and paying insurance on it. Honestly, the only way they could make public transportation better in our area would be by giving reduced fares to commuters who regularly use their services that go beyond the usual bus pass.