Students looking to get fit or pick up some groceries further afield now have a new bus route to help them get to popular downtown destinations.
A special bus on Route #18, named the Student Circuit, will start transporting students from various areas in the Ghetto towards Kingston’s downtown core on Monday, Sept. 12.
The AMS and Kingston Transit ed forces to create the route in response to a September 2004 survey that revealed 77 per cent of the 40 per cent of undergraduate students polled “virtually never” use the Kingston Transit system.
“Students were dissatisfied with the transit routes,” said Naomi Lutes, AMS municipal affairs commissioner.
She said the new route will serve more than one purpose.
“Students will be able to make use of their Bus-It fee, [the route] will provide students with better access to downtown Kingston and it will increase general use of the busing system in Kingston.”
Lutes said the shuttle was created with the intention of encouraging students who pay the Bus-It fee—a mandatory AMS student activity fee of $40.41—to take advantage of the busing system in Kingston.
Matt DeMille, ArtSci ’07, said he was happy to be provided with a new route.
“This would be something students could really get out of their fees,” he said. “No more [taxi] cabbing to Food Basics or the LCBO, and we won’t have to pay for ridiculously priced groceries at A&P.”
In addition to providing students with transportation to Food Basics, the route also allows easy access to the surrounding Goodlife Fitness Centre, the LCBO and other various restaurants, shops and services in the downtown area.
In a release, the AMS said that once on the road, the Route #18 shuttle—as well as its bus stops—will be easily identifiable to students. The bus will be wrapped in Queen’s colours.
The schedule for Route #18 can be found in the City of Kingston’s Riders Guide. The bus will provide transportation every 30 minutes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the evenings Monday through Friday, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The route can be used by any member of the public.
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