Starting Monday, August 20, current students at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Dona Ana Community College (DACC) can ride any RoadRUNNER Transit bus without a fare simply by presenting a valid student ID card to the bus driver.
Valid IDs must have a picture of the Organ Mountains with the tower at Goddard Hall in the foreground. Students are asked to present their ID card every time they board the bus. Current students who do not have the proper ID card may obtain it by contacting ID Card Services at their school.
At this time, staff and faculty at NMSU and DACC as well as students from other educational institutions are not included in this program. Aggie Transit on the NMSU campus and the DACC Shuttle which connects Mesilla Valley Mall with the East Mesa Campus of DACC will continue to be fare-free for all users.
The Las Cruces City Council approved this "demonstration project" to temporarily waive fares for NMSU and DACC students in order to collect and assess data that could lead a formal universal pass (or U-Pass) program that could start as soon as the fall semester in 2013. U-Pass programs are very common and very popular in communities that have both a public transit system and higher education institutions.
These programs are funded by a formal agreement between the educational institution and the transit service whereby the school pays a lump sum, usually collected as a modest per student fee, for the ability of all students to access the public transit service without paying a fare on the bus. U-Pass programs not only provide universal access but have the ability to fund additional transit services that can benefit both students and the community.
This demonstration project is scheduled to end May 11, 2013.
For additional information, please contact RoadRUNNER Transit by calling 541-2500 or by sending an email to roadrunner@las-cruces.org