You’ve gotten accepted into the UA, and your parents are overjoyed. Your grandmother even sent you a sealed envelope (which you hope contains money). Only problem now is, how are you going to get there?
There are more than 20 parking garages and lots at and surrounding the UA for students to use during the year. Most permits range from $228 to $518, depending on what location best suits your commute.
The UA tries to be flexible, providing considerable deals to students who decide to park in on-campus lots instead of garages, and to the disabled.
And say you only want to park near campus, or for a short while because of a busy morning schedule. The Park-N-Ride Lots and The Evening Lots are two options that can be found for less than $200.
But what if you don’t own your own vehicle?
The UA offers many alternative transportation methods that help students get to the university and back in a simplified manner.
The CatTran is an on-site service with five routes, taking passengers to and from destinations around campus at no charge – with the exception of two routes that run north or south of campus boundaries.
“”It’s convenient and safe,”” said Bill Richardson, marketing manager for Parking and Transportation Services. “”You can just sit there and relax while youíre either going to class or to a meeting.””
The CatTran gives more than half a million rides to both UA employees and students, who use the service to avoid wasting the time it takes to find a parking space or walk to campus.
Another option for students who live off campus is purchasing a Sun Tran UPASS, a discounted bus pass the university offers, easy to swipe at any of the busesí 30-plus locations.
Students and employees get a 50 percent subsidized deal when they buy a UPASS at $156 for a year, or $70 for the fall
semester.
“”The good thing about this is that it’s good every day, and they can use it when they have school off on the weekend,”” Richardson said. “”Besides riding to class, you can just use it to get around.””
If a student were planning to ride the bus more than four times a week, buying a UPASS would actually be saving them almost $50, he said.
But don’t worry if you don’t live near a Sun Tran or CatTran stop.
Many off-campus housing complexes, such as Northpointe, Sahara and College Place apartments, have their own private transportation services that take students to and from school.
Whatever the method of transportation, there are many options to choose from, and living off campus does not necessarily guarantee you’ll be packing up to make the trek on foot.
After all alternatives have been exhausted, and using fuel just is not going to cut it, there’s always your good old trusty skateboard or bike for those who live near campus.
Just don’t forget to lock it up!
