Students getting a free ride

Marisa O’Neil

Starting this week, UC Irvine students can get on the bus -- free.

Orange County Transportation Authority and UCI on Thursday

announced the U-Pass program that lets students take the bus to

school, or anywhere else, free. All they need is their current

student identification card.

“This is your ticket to freedom,” said OCTA board member Chris

Norby, clutching a student identification card at the kick-off rally.

“Freedom from gas stations, freedom from parking, freedom from car

insurance payments, freedom to read a book on the way to class.”

OCTA launched the same program at Cal State Fullerton in September

and so far has 1,000 students participating, according to OCTA

Chairman Gregory Winterbottom.

Once students have their ID cards activated at the campus Parking

and Transportation Office for free, they can ride OCTA buses that

entire semester. The cards must be activated each semester to stay

current.

Students swipe the cards through onboard readers, just like OCTA

bus passes, which cost $37.50 for 30 days. Regular fares are $1.

Besides reducing traffic on Orange County roads and easing

pollution problems, UCI Vice Chancellor Manuel Gomez said the program

will mean more parking spaces. He called campus parking permits

“hunting licenses” because so many students and faculty compete for

so few spaces.

“We simply don’t have enough parking structures and paved-over

land for parking,” Gomez said.

Finding a parking place can sometimes take an hour or more,

student Denise Estrella said.

“Right now, I ride with friends or park far away, off campus,”

said second-year student Victoria Wang, who signed up for the program

Thursday. “This will save us so much money on parking. A parking pass

is like $400 a year.”

Junior Priscilla Majidi also picked up a schedule and route

information from OCTA employees at the kickoff. Though she currently

lives on campus, she said that having the option to take the bus

makes her more inclined to move next year.

“I was concerned about parking and worried how to get to school,”

Majidi said. “This is an excellent opportunity to get to school and

not worry about parking.”

Five bus routes serve the campus directly. Routes 175, 470 and 59

extend to Brea Mall, Larwin Square and the Metrolink station in

Tustin and John Wayne Airport.

Route 79 goes from UCI down Jamboree to Fashion Island and 178

takes Jamboree, Michelson, Von Karmann, Birch and Irvine to Del Mar,

north on Fairview to Adams to Huntington Beach.

Complete route and schedule information is available at

https://www.octa.net.