Many of these issues have been brought up in the past and NDSU’s instant response is to make use of the MATBUS and for what is probably one of the first times, I agree.
When new students come to campus, one of the first things they are introduced to is the MATBUS, a bus that has routes throughout Fargo and Moorhead, but is best known for its routes through both the main campus as well as downtown.
When freshman (or first time bus using seniors) look at the bus route map it can be rather intimidating. Trying to sync your class schedule with another schedule can be difficult. Or maybe the thing that turns you away is the fact that it is public transportation and for some reason when we were growing up it became a shameful act to take the bus.
But as a matter of fact, the MATBUS is amazing once you get the hang of it. Not only is there an app that acts just like Google Maps in order to get you from point A to point B in the quickest manner, but it’s free. Yes, completely free. Instead of paying the absurd prices that campus requires for parking you can instead hop on the bus with your fellow classmates and be dropped off right where you need to be.
“Not only does the app help me find which bus I need to be on with ease, but it also has a live bus tracker so I know I won’t have to wait forever in the winter,” Kassidy Skuza, an NDSU sophomore and first time bus user, said when discussing the perks of the MATBUS system.
As a senior myself, I can say that this system has saved me many tickets and given me many friends. The bus is a great place to meet people with whom you have something in common. Yes, public transportation can be intimidating at first if you have never been exposed to it, but the benefits are immeasurable when it comes to this transportation system.
It’s easy to use, it’s free of charge and it saves you from having to scrape off your windows only to use gas driving to campus and then needing to stand at a parking pass station to pay $2 to leave your car in a lot for an hour. The MATBUS system is much better than driving to campus because in the end it saves you money and let’s be honest here, isn’t that always the goal?