Students choose from many travel options

There are several more ways than cars to get around Columbia.

By Jacob Beran

Published Feb. 2, 2009

Among the many adjustments some incoming college students have to make is the sacrifice of their cars.

Luckily, even if you didn't bring a car to Columbia, there are plenty of viable options to choose from to get around.

Bicycles are an option to get around campus and they can be registered with the MU Police Department to prevent theft.

Freshman Mark Bosky said his bicycle helps him get to class quickly.

"I usually only ride it when I have class in one of the engineering buildings," he said. "I live in Wolpers so it cuts the travel time significantly. But, it is annoying to have to lock my bike up each time or to find an empty bike rack after each use," Bosky said.

There are many bicycle shops in Columbia that cater to students, including Walt's Bicycle and Fitness Shop, Cyclextreme and Klunk Bicycles and Repair.

Walt's Fitness Department Manager Bob Zufall said customers could expect to pay about $60 to $100 for a bike that meets a student's needs.

Another option on two wheels that some students utilize is a Vespa.

These single-engine scooters get from 60 to 100 miles per gallon, depending on the model and hold just less than two and a half gallons of fuel. They do require a motorcycle license to operate and a written exam must be taken through the Missouri Motorcycle Safety Program.

Vespa of Columbia, located at 823 E. Broadway, offers Vespas ranging from about $1,000 to $6,000.

Columbia Transit's bus system provides extensive coverage throughout the Columbia area, including the Columbia Mall, The Cottages, Campus View and Campus Lodge. All stops are accessible from a stop at Brady Commons. Columbia Transit has seven different routes including day and night shuttles to campus.

Buses leave Brady Commons every half hour, starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 1:30 a.m. An extra bus is sometimes added from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on school days due to the overwhelming number of students who utilize Columbia Transit.

Travel around campus, including stops at the Hearnes Center and Trowbridge are free of charge. Columbia Transit charges $.50 for a one-way trip on any of the cities' routes, but with a student ID fares are reduced to $.25.

There are plenty of taxi services to choose from as well. Columbia offers A-1 Taxi, Tiger Taxi, Central Taxi, 1 Reliable Taxi and Economy Cab. The average fare for a Columbia taxi trip is $4 per mile.

For the out-of-state student flying home for the holidays, Mo-X, a shuttle service operating out of Columbia, offers 12 daily roundtrips to St. Louis' Lambert International Airport and five daily roundtrips to Kansas City International Airport.

A one-way trip, departing from the Mo-X office on Business Loop 70 costs $43 one-way and $81 for a round trip. The service also offers a shuttle that picks up passengers from their residences for an additional fee.

"If the place I need to go isn't on campus, or within reasonable walking distance from campus, I usually just ask one of my friends for a ride," freshman Mike Mahaffey said. "I kind of prefer it, because that way, I'm on my own schedule, instead of say, having to wait for the bus, which comes once every half an hour."

Having a car might be the most convenient form of transportation, but even without one, there are certainly ways to get around.