FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — The University of North Alabama (UNA) is piloting a new transportation program for its students. They’re getting off the bus and into Tesla.
UNA partnered with the company Slidr to bring an on-demand, eco-friendly option to campus.
The school says it struggled to keep up the maintenance on the bus service they were using and the vehicles had a tough time getting through the small neighborhoods on campus. They say this new partnership makes it easier to get around.
“We’re always looking to ease our student’s orientation to UNA [and] help them with transportation around town. Some have cars, some don’t… We have a lot of international students who might not have transportation, so the more good options we can provide our students the better,” UNA President Kenneth Kitts told News 19.
The school says the average ride will be five minutes in a car. Slidr is incurring the cost while the pilot program continues. None of the cost will be passed along to the student.
For those who don’t have a car, they say they’re looking forward to using the service. Arantxda Vasquez Herrero, a student at UNA, told News 19 that they plan to use the service to get groceries or save time walking to class.
And for those who do drive, student Averies Yeager says, “It’s hard to find a parking spot on campus, so just being able to have [the service] available would be so nice.”
The fixed route service will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m.
The designated pick-up and drop-off locations along the route include:
- Rice and River residence halls
- Harrison Plaza
- No’Ala Heights and the Connie D. McKinney Center
- East Campus
- Grandview Apartments
- Lions Gate Apartments
The Slidr app is $1 to download, but free to use. The transportation program is in its pilot phase and the school plans to decide how many more vehicles will be added or if the service is needed moving forward.
