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Bus stop at Wal-Mart meets student demand

The Office of International Education has succeeded in adding a stop at Wal-Mart to the Miami University Metro route four times this semester. The purchase of a $5 ticket allows a student to ride round-trip on each of the offered dates. While primarily geared toward international students, the bus is open to all. The editorial board of The Miami Student applauds this pilot program for demonstrating responsiveness to student needs in a responsible manner.

Students have expressed the need for transportation to Wal-Mart. Without access to cars, first-year and international students have difficulty getting to stores where they can buy inexpensive groceries and other general supplies. Indeed, Associated Student Government (ASG) recognized the problem and has recently taken up the issue. However, the Office of International Education beat everyone else to it.

Given the budget crisis, gauging student interest with this semester-long test run is a smartly calculated move. We anticipate student participation will increase as more people become aware of the service. That being said, pending the level of interest that actually materializes, the service should be altered accordingly. As long as the demand is there, the program should be made permanent, and possibly expanded from occasional stops to regular, once-a-week stops.

The current price is fair, but if the service does grow it may need to be revised to accommodate a variety of trip packages. Also, pending a review of this trial run, this board encourages other organizations to get involved to help fund the system. This route is not part of the regular Metro service and it may not be appropriate for it to ever be. It is not likely students beyond first-year and international students will have much use for the service, so including any additional cost in student fees may be unnecessary.

If the service is made not only permanent but regular, it would be useful to survey students about convenient times to schedule the trips. The surveys could be administered via e-mail or even on the bus to ensure students who actually use the stop are targeted. As the success of this program is assessed, it would be prudent to look toward other areas of expansion. Perhaps as part of the surveys, students could indicate where else they would like the service to go. Even if nothing comes of it, by feeling out other possible locations, the program can be sure a need is not being overlooked.