When Political Science major Sara Poznik moved to Greensboro from Madison, Wis., she assumed that she would be able to ride the city bus from her apartment near UNCG to Guilford College. “I haven’t ridden the bus yet,” Poznik said, “but it’s not for lack of trying.” Poznik said that the process was so time consuming and confusing that she bought a bike and rode the five miles to school everyday instead.

Many cities around the world rely on public transportation. International student Micheline Pereira is from Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

“In my home city, we enjoy extensive public transportation,” Pereira said. “Everybody uses it – we need it every day. When I came here, I was surprised at the lack of transportation options. With a new system, some students will be able to enjoy and appreciate Greensboro more.”

This August, the Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA) will implement a new transportation system: HEAT (Higher Education Area Transit). This service is different from the existing one because it is a university- and college-focused transportation system.

Currently, the GTA services the Guilford College area with one route. Busses come once per hour. This has left some students unable to use public transportation to get around Greensboro.

“I think that a change in the bus system would be very beneficial to minority communities in the Greensboro area,” said Sociology major Cassandra LeGrande. “I think attention needs to be brought to the fact that, although the bus system provides minorities with ‘transportation,’ it limits us because [the system] has its own limitations. It needs to be understood that a better bus system would help provide better opportunities for the minority.”

Libby James, the city’s Public Transportation Division Manager, affirms that this type of service has been needed in the Greensboro community for a long time.

“I’m extremely excited,” James said about HEAT. “It is probably one of the most exciting public transportation services Greensboro has implemented.”

The new service promises to expand available transportation dramatically. The system will allow students to travel between different colleges’ campuses as well as to select stops in Greensboro. The service is free for any student with a valid college ID.

According to the national 2000 census, Greensboro’s college student population was about 10 percent of the total population. Outside of Guilford College, Greensboro is home to two state universities (UNCG and NC A&T SU), two private colleges (Greensboro and Bennett), one multi-campus technical community college (GTCC) and several private technical schools.

These schools have provided funding to the GTA to give students free access to the citywide bus system. According to Adrienne Craig, Coordinator of Student Involvement and Leadership, each school will pay an amount based on the institution’s population size. Funding will not come from student activity fees.

“This service will not only benefit college students,” James said. “It will also provide additional routes and riding services to the general public.”

HEAT will add new routes to the current public transit system. Some routes that are already in service will be enhanced. The new routes will be express routes. This means that stops will be kept to a minimum. According to their newly updated website, www.rideheat.com, the GTA encourages students to send “suggestions for stops or other areas to be served by HEAT.