|
|
Local bus system provides transportation to education |
|
|
|
Thursday, 25 October 2007 |
 Brad D. Indicott, AppalCART driver of 10 years, stands by his bus. AppalCART stands for Appalachian Campus Area Rapid Transit. Photo Special to The Appalachian
|
by ANNE BAKER
Intern News Reporter
Many students say riding the AppalCART at Appalachian State University is as big of a part of their college life as meal plans, cramped dorm rooms and doing laundry for the first time alone.
AppalCART buses seem to be everywhere in Boone and every August, many students return to school to once again rely on the system as a primary source of transportation.
It seems fitting, then, that every bus rider should be aware of the following ten facts regarding what the AppalCART Web site calls, “the transportation authority serving all of Watauga County.”
1. “The AppalCART gets its name from the acronym Appalachian Campus
Area Rapid Transit,” Transportation Director Christopher D. Turner
said. “The name AppalCART was coined by John Simmons of [Appalachian’s]
information office when the service began in January 1980. In July
1986, AppalCART became the official name of the authority.”
2. Currently, there are 11 routes in use. The State Farm shuttle, as
well as the red, green, gold, pop 105, express, orange, blue, purple,
pink, and silver routes all serve in-town needs. “The buses had 38,593
miles for the month of September, which is usually our biggest month.
There were 127,124 riders, which is an all-time record,” Turner said.
3. AppalCART employs approximately 58 people, with 35 of those being
drivers – eight of which are students. One of the student drivers is
senior sociology major Ed R. Ponton, who has worked for AppalCART
almost three years. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet
people and build relationships with them. Plus, I’ve always liked to
drive,” Ponton said.
4. Drivers do not drive one particular route; instead, they learn them
all. Driver Brad D. Indicott began working for AppalCART 10 years ago.
“I drive everything, from para-transit to the buses,” he said. However,
this does not stop drivers from having a favorite route they enjoy
driving the most. “I don’t particularly like the route but the people
on the blue route are awesome. After you drive a particular [route] for
awhile, you begin to know people,” Ponton said.
5. AppalCART gets its funding from a variety of places. “We receive
funding through a national transit program,” Turner said. In addition,
there are levels of state and local funding that make it possible for
the system to run free of charge, with the exception of rural routes.
6. Bus drivers aren’t nearly as bored driving around for hours as one
might think. “There is usually something going on; there is a lot to
keep you busy. Driving after football games is always crazy,” Indicott
said. One thing that does take up a lot of the drivers’ concentration
is red lights. “Timing is everything. If you don’t make the [traffic
light at the intersection of] U.S. Highway 105, it seems like you sit
there for five minutes,” Indicott said.
7. The AppalCART’s role to the community is just as important as it is
to the university. “A lot of people don’t realize that AppalCART does a
lot of good for the town. We transport a lot of citizens who can’t get
to places they need to go by themselves; it’s not just about the big
buses you see,” Ponton said.
8. Some drivers actually enjoy driving in the snow, ice and/or freezing
rain. “I like driving in the snow. If it’s snowing and drivers call in,
I’ll usually come in and drive,” Ponton said. Indicott also likes
driving in bad weather. “It’s always memorable driving in the
wintertime, especially through the snow and ice going up to Mountaineer
Village,” he said.
9. Drivers care about freshmen who might have trouble with the bus
schedules. “We do our best to help freshmen learn routes easily,”
Indicott said. Ponton added it is necessary for those who might be
confused to read the schedules carefully. “It is also important to
realize that every route does not go to the State Farm lot,” he said.
10. AppalCART employees want students to seek jobs within the system.
“We always encourage student employees,” Turner said. Ponton agrees
with this concept. “The hours are super flexible; I give them the hours
I’m available and they work really well with my schedule,” he said.
Those who wish to know more information about the AppalCART system can visit www.appalcart.appstate.edu.
For students interested in employment, an application is available on the Web site, which can be printed off and completed.
Trackback(0)
 |
|
|
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments
2. Don't cut off the buses. If anyone has ever been on the bus when the driver had to lock up the brakes, you know why.
3. Allow buses to change lanes when they need to instead of going around them and making them sit in the road.
4. Be at the bus stop on-time, waiting on "runners" makes the bus late.
5. Sit down quickly, the driver cannot pull off from the stop while passengers are walking to their seats.
6. Pull the stop cord early enough to allow the driver time to stop the bus safely.
7. When standing at a stop, make it clear to the approaching drivers whether or not you want to ride.
8. Read the schedules. We are college students and hopefully we are able to read. Friday rush-hour is not the time to ask questions of the drivers.
9. Be respectful to others. Loud music, loud talking and loud cell phone use is rude, be it on the bus or anywhere else.
10. Drivers want to be on-time and they do their best, they cannot control traffic.
If passengers would follow this advice (as many of them already do, and thanks to them!), the AppalCART could run more efficiently and would run behind schedule a lot less.
As a side note from one driver, thank you to all the kind passengers who thank us or say hello. Running late and being stuck in traffic (and driving in Boone in general) is very stressful and a smile and a hello from the occasional passenger makes our jobs a little more bearable. Thank you for taking time to read my comment.