CONTACT: Anse Cates, (850) 644-1790; <acates@admin.fsu.edu>

July 2008

HERE’S A GAS SAVER! FSU EMPLOYEES CAN RIDE FREE ON CITY’S BUSES

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State University and the city of Tallahassee have amended their StarMetro contract to allow FSU employees to ride free any city bus, anytime, anywhere, with no restraints.

“In these days of $4-a-gallon gasoline, higher grocery bills and state budget cuts, we want to do what we can to help our staff and faculty,” said FSU President T.K. Wetherell. “We appreciate the city’s willingness to work with us on this and hope as many of our employees as possible will be able to benefit from it.”

Employees have been able to ride StarMetro buses free for some time but had to surrender their FSU parking passes to do it, which freed up parking spots on campus for other employees, said Anse Cates, associate director of Business Services.

“Now, under this new agreement, they can keep their FSU parking permits so they can have more flexibility,” he said. “Some days they can take advantage of the city buses, and some days they may need to bring their vehicles to campus. Removing the restriction should increase the number of people riding, and StarMetro has agreed to accommodate them.”

Anyone with a valid FSUCard will be allowed to board and swipe their card seven days a weeks on any existing StarMetro route, Cates said.

The city already has set up various “Park & Ride” spots at locations around town where FSU employees can park their cars and catch a bus. But employees can also hop on at any regular bus stop in Tallahassee. They can disembark at several locations near campus, such as at the corner of Copeland and Jefferson streets, and either walk a short distance or take StarMetro’s campus buses, the “Seminole Express” network, to their FSU office.

Davis Prime said he is one of a group of FSU employees who ride regularly. He buses in and gets off at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Jefferson Street, then walks to the nearby Mendenhall Maintenance Building where he works.

“It’s very convenient,” Prime said. “I’ve been pretty happy with it.”

A complete list of StarMetro routes and times is available online at <www.Talgov.com/starmetro>.

# # #