A new bus service is coming next school year to Athens which will cater specifically to Cincinnati-bound Ohio University students.
Athens Bus, operated by S&Z Partners, will begin transporting students during Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks of next school year from OU to Cincinnati, with the potential of adding more runs to the schedule in the spring.
The idea for Athens Bus originated in 2001 when undergraduate students Jeremy Schwak and a friend saw a need for their peers to have more transportation options to and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Yvonne Pevitz, public relations coordinator for Athens Bus.
They realized the need for affordable and reliable transportation
Pevitz said.
The first bus line originated from University of Wisconsin at Madison to the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities campus, she said, adding that after the route was successful, the partners expanded to Indiana University, going from Chicago to Indianapolis.
The next plan was to bring a student bus line to a university in Ohio, Pevitz said, adding that OU was chosen because it is smaller than the Ohio State University campus and Athens is also a less accessible area.
I think part of it was that Athens was a school they researched and it was a primary school in Ohio the state they wanted to expand into that they didn't have many viable transportation options
Pevitz said.
Cincinnati was an advantageous location for bus travel because of its distance from OU, Pevitz said, adding that there is not as much of a need to have a line to Columbus or Akron/Cleveland right now.
The bus line to Cincinnati is currently non-stop, but there are plans to potentially add Columbus and Akron/Cleveland as stops if the first line is successful, she said.
Athens Bus will pick-up and drop-off students at Lot 128 by the Convocation Center on the OU campus, Pevitz said. In Cincinnati, students would be dropped off at Rookwood Commons.
Fares will be $89 for round-trips and $49 for one-way. Students will be able to purchase tickets at AthensBus.com; however, the site will not be functional until the summer, according to an e-mail.
A portion of the fare proceeds will go toward I'm Too Young For This!, an organization that supports young adults with cancer.
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Christina Ipavec
