Athens isn’t a big city by any measure, but there’s no shortage of public transportation options to get you from point A to point B.
A well-known bike path, plus a couple different bus services, are all here to help you get some groceries or hitch a ride home to mom and dad.
The Hocking Adena Bikeway is a 21-mile trail that starts along East State Street, where many students shop for cheap food to stock their refrigerators. The bike path passes through Ohio University’s campus and continues into the woods along the Hocking River, and leads all the way to Nelsonville.
If it’s pouring down rain or sleeting, if you are in a hurry or if you’re just feeling lazy, Athens Public Transit is another option to get you around town.
Just $1 per one-way ride can take you “just about anywhere in Athens,” said Mary Dailey, general manager for the bus service.
Dailey said she encourages students to enjoy the conveniences of the buses, as she said they can keep both your carbon footprint and number of parking tickets low.
On five different routes, busses generally start running at 7:15 a.m. and end around 8 p.m. Last fall, about 180 folks rode the buses each day, according to a previous
Post
article.
“Athens Public Transit is an excellent source of transportation for any student. The bus travels to all the main shopping centers, grocery stores and clinics in Athens, as well as several stops throughout campus,” Dailey said.
Paper schedules for all busses can be found in Baker University Center or online.
Athens is also part of the GoBus Intercity Bus Service, which is an effort between the Ohio Department of Transportation, the city of Athens and Hocking Athens Perry Community Action Partnership, or HAPCAP.
Carolyn Conley, the project manager for the partnership, advises students to take advantage of the GoBus.
“It’s a great way to visit friends and family easily and conveniently,” Conley said.
The buses pick up students near The Convo and travel to Columbus, Cincinnati and Marietta. The bus also makes several stops along the way to those destinations.
The buses run each route twice daily with connection to Columbus’ downtown bus station and the Port Columbus International Airport.
One-way tickets range from five to 20 dollars plus tax and fees.
Many students, like freshman Audrey Coyne, hop on the GoBus to visit friends and significant others at Ohio State University or the University of Cincinnati.
“My boyfriend goes to school at Ohio State, so the bus is a quick, easy way to visit him,” Coyne said.
Coyne, who majors in special education, said she thinks the bus is a great way to get to and from places because of its efficiency and safeness.
“It’s super simple; go online, print off your ticket and be on time to the bus,” Coyne said.
@LIBBY_BRADFORD
EB395612@OHIOU.EDU
