As gas prices top $4 a gallon, Ohio University students are adapting their traveling habits.
For many at OU, the bus has become more attractive for long distance trips. The Athens Community Center on East State Street, where Greyhound Lines has its local terminal, has seen significant increases in traffic when students are leaving Athens.
On the average week
we sell around 10 to 15 tickets said Vanessa Scott, a community center employee. But in the past few weeks we can sell at 15 a day.
Scott noted that bus tickets usually become popular in waves
as the center sees a spike in business around the beginning and end of each quarter, when students are returning home from school.
The trend is not reflected overall.
Recently
our sales numbers have seen an increase overall
but that's normal for us around the Memorial Day season
said Greyhound Communications Manager Abby Wambaugh. We haven't seen an abnormal increase at all.
She added that the company could not say if increasing gas prices have affected their rider trends, as the company does not poll its customers on why they choose to ride.
Although Greyhound marks no significant change in sales, there is a noticeable fluctuation in ticket prices for riders going through the Athens terminal.
Last week
we had a couple going to Memphis
Scott said. The price went up by $20 in a week's time.
Greyhound also has had to put an end to advance rate discounts. Customers could buy tickets at large discounts if purchased seven to 14 days in advance.
The discounts, which sometimes could cut more than half of a ticket's original price, are no longer offered. Scott said that the Athens terminal could not give out the discounts after June 20.
Wambaugh said Greyhound has suspended advance rate discounts, at least for now. She said that in place of the discounts, the company released a new fare schedule that included new online discounts and tickets that could be returned for a refund.
Another university program, the Ride Board, has seen a large increase in hits since January. Ride Board is a program run by the university that allows students to organize carpools for travel to their hometowns. Shawn O'Malley, an OU system administrator, said the site received twice the number of hits in June 2008 than June 2007. The Board generally sees peaks in activity in February and October but has surged in popularity since the beginning of 2008.
The average Greyhound bus ticket price for a two-way ticket from Athens to Pittsburgh is $86, while tickets to Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland will cost $68, $78 and $112, respectively. Prices to Ohio destinations include in-state taxes while out-of-state destinations do not. Lakefront Lines, a Cleveland-based bussing service, still offers bus tickets to customers going from Athens to Cleveland with a seven-day advance discount of $70 plus tax.
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