By Taylor Smith —

A new policy was introduced regarding the TARC buses students and faculty use to get around campus. The Louisville Cardinal did a Twitter survey about the new policy.

Out of 70 responses to “Did you know about the #new swipe procedure on the Tarc buses?” Half didn’t know what the question was about. Thirty-one percent of responders said they were surprised, and only 19 percent said they were aware of the change.

The new policy required passengers to swipe their Cardinal Card upon entering the bus in order to ride. On the first day of classes, many commuter students struggled to make it to class on time as the lines to board the bus grew longer.

We also asked, “Were you late to class because of the new Cardinal Shuttle procedure yesterday?” Forty-five percent of responders were still unaware of the procedure. Twenty-six percent were either kind of late or very late, while 30 percent weren’t late.

Gary Becker, director of parking and transportation at the University of Louisville, commented that this policy was put into place on Jan. 7. The policy required anyone wanting to ride route 94 to scan their card. “If the university member forgets his or her ID while on Route #94, the individual will be permitted to ride. No student or employee should be turned away from Route #94,” Becker said.

While some employees and students had been turned away, Becker said that TARC drivers have been notified that anyone associated with UofL should always be permitted to ride.

TARC and U of L have a contract which allows students to ride all TARC routes for free. This allows students to get around campus, get to campus from home and explore the city.

“The new smart fare boxes were acquired by TARC as a faster payment method to improve security and convenience” Becker said. “Ridership numbers acquired from the new fare boxes will assist TARC and the university in understanding current and future transportation needs as well as the value delivered to students and employees by TARC.”

While the new policy may be a hassle to students on campus, it will allow TARC to track the number of students using the bus system and evaluate if the universities needs for transportation are met by TARC. 

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal