When you’re in college, you might either not be able to bring a car, or you might choose not to bring one. If so, how do you get around? Some students will opt to have something like a scooter, although you have to be careful because a scooter can be dangerous. Other students use public transportation or rely on the kindness of friends to get around.
In general, the following are some things to know about having a car on a college campus and what to do if you don’t.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Having a Car on Campus?
If you have the option to bring a car to campus, but you aren’t sure, the following are some of the upsides:
- It’s convenient. When you have a car, you don’t have to worry about missing a bus or waiting in the rain. You have space for friends, and you have storage space if you need to run out and buy groceries or supplies and bring them back to your apartment or dorm.
- When you have a car, it gives you independence. You don’t have to rely on anyone or anything to get where you need to go.
- You can go not just around campus, but you can also go home whenever you want, or you can travel to other cities or states.
What about the downsides?
- It can be expensive to have a car on campus. It can be hundreds of dollars a semester in some cases, not including all the other associated expenses like parking, gas, and insurance.
- Speaking of parking, college campuses are notoriously nightmares when it comes to parking options.
- You can find that you end up having to drive everyone you know around when you have a car too.
So, if you don’t bring your car or your college doesn’t allow it, consider these other ways to get around.
Ride a Scooter
A scooter was mentioned above, and while it is risky, for some people it is the best option when they’re in college. Scooters aren’t very expensive, and you can park them in tight spots. They’re easy to control and manoeuvre. However, motorised scooters can be very dangerous or even deadly, so if you go with this transportation option, you always have to be alert and mindful.
The same is true of a moped.
Different states have different driving qualifications and regulations for mopeds, so you’ll have to check on those.
Use Campus Transit
Maybe before college, you never used any type of public transportation, but you might find it’s the cheapest most convenient option.
Most college campuses have their own bus routes. You can get not only around the campus itself but sometimes to areas a fair distance outside of campus.
What’s good about campus transit is that it often runs late-night as well, so you can get home safely.
Public transportation is also an option if you need to go anywhere outside of campus.
Use a Bike
Use a BikeAs long as you don’t need to go far outside of campus, a bike is arguably one of the best forms of transportation to use on campus. Bikes are eco-friendly and faster than walking.
You do need to keep a few things in mind, though.
You need to check the bike laws where you go to school first. You also need to make sure you always lock it up or take it inside when you’re not riding it, and don’t forget your helmet.
Use Uber or Lyft
Uber and Lyft have changed the way many people get from place to place. In fact, teenagers are less inclined to get their licenses now because these services are available.
For the most part, if you’re only using them occasionally, these services aren’t that expensive.
You might use them at night if you’re going out with friends, or maybe once-in-a-while if you oversleep and might be late for class.
What a lot of college students don’t initially realise is that even when you move off-campus and into an apartment, a car may not be the most viable way to get around.
Yes, you might be able to more easily do things off-campus with a car, but you’re still pretty limited as far as what you can do on campus. It can be more time-consuming to take a car to campus once you’ve dealt with pedestrian traffic and found a parking spot.
If you buy a parking spot, plan on it costing hundreds of dollars, and it might not be convenient to all your classes, so you might still be relying on some of the above transportation options.
