Transit pilot program begins Sept. 2

Submitted by Carla Browning
Phone: 907-474-7778
08/26/08

A new partnership between UAF and the Fairbanks North Star Borough will allow the UAF PolarExpress card to serve as a bus pass on all borough bus routes.

The Large Employer Subsidized Transit pilot program, approved by the Borough Assembly over the summer, begins Sept. 2.

The program aims to boost the number of people who use public transportation and reduce automobile emissions. Students, staff and faculty who take the bus may also save on their transportation costs.

UAF staff, faculty and students who ride the bus account for about 16 percent of riders, or about $70,000 in fares, according to FNSB staff.

UAF will pay about $20,000 toward the program during the first year and the borough, via federal grant money, will cover the remainder. The university will gradually pay more for the program, if it proves successful.

Four of the borough’s six bus lines stop at the campus. For more information on the bus schedule visit the FNSB bus system website.