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Show TAKE THE BUS Charles Allen / HEX Writer _Am HEX / VI If you drove your car to school today you must be rich. This sign of wealth doesn't come from the car you drive, but from the amount of time you spend driving it. According to the Internal Revenue Service, every mile you drive costs you $0.565. This means that if you live in Springville or Lehi you're spending $14 for every round-trip to and from UVU campus. So, what's the alternative to driving to school every day? Unless you can bum a ride from a friend or your mom is willing to bring you to school like she did when you were in junior high, your only choice is public transportation. A round-trip bus fare will cost you as little as $4.00 a day. That means that taking the bus could save you as much as $500 every semester. Sure, it takes longer to ride the bus, but besides saving money there are others benefits to using public transportation. There is nothing productive about driving; all you can do is drive. Every minute on a bus is a minute you can spend studying, writing, or watching the latest episode of The Office. Riding the bus can give you a full drive's worth of additional time to read your textbooks or review your notes from class. If you care about the environment, riding the bus is a great benefit to the air quality in Utah Valley. Every day you drive your car to campus from Springville you are spewing about 4 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. Over four years of driving to UVU, the time required to earn your degree, you will send the equivalent weight of your car in carbon emissions into the air we breathe. Perhaps the greatest reward for taking public transportation, though, is the experience you will have every time you ride. Entering the bus feels like joining a micro-community; it makes you feel more human and alive. Usually no words are spoken. Mostly people are consumed with their own lives. But somehow there is connection formed when you join the small gathering of people who have joined together for the short journey. Okay, maybe driving to campus everyday doesn't mean you're rich, but taking the bus to school will leave more money in your pocket. More importantly, your life will feel a little richer riding to school with other people. And the world around you will be just a little better because you chose to leave your car at home and take the bus. |