Students say they're walking or biking more
HOUGHTON -- Walking through town can be a nice way to get around, but many college students are using their feet as a primary mode of transportation, even if they own a car. With gas now above four dollars a gallon, driving is a luxury that some can't afford or see as a last resort for longer trips.
"It’s really expensive,” said first year student Chelsea Russell. “I don't even have a big tank and I'm spending a lot of money to fill it. I try to get rides with other people."
"It’s been rough,” said sixth year student Kurt Weirich. “I've been doing more biking to campus. Gas prices are killing everyone right now."
The city of Houghton says it hasn't seen a real change in use of public transportation, but it may still be too early to tell. The buses travel on a set downtown route and also operate a demand service, which could get costly if it becomes too popular.
"We encourage more people to use the fixed route,” said City Manager Scott MacInnes. “It's got a fixed rate for us, so we want to fill that area much as we can. The door-to-door is something different. We subsidize that pretty significantly and every time we pick up, it costs more. So we don't want to expand that part of our system."
Drivers with Neil’s Taxi in Hancock have seen an increase in passengers since gas prices went up but doesn't make it any easier to fill their tanks. The company plans to raise the rates for longer rides in May and for local rides when students return at the end of August.
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