Transportation for students without transportation has constantly been a hot topic over the past several years.
Now students will now have an easier way of getting from point A to point B.
Recent legislation passed by the Louisiana State Legislature came into effect in the beginning of July allowing both Uber and Lyft have to extend their areas of service to every parish in Louisiana, not just metropolitan areas such as New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Due to the rural location of Grambling State University and a lack of businesses in the community many students travel to Ruston or Monroe, two nearby cities, for their needs and essentials.
Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft are huge in today’s society, especially in major cities, but were not allowed to operate in rural areas until the new law came into effect.
Both services are widely used around the world, providing individuals with transportation at the palm of their hands. The students of Grambling should benefit from this because of the lack of accessibility to certain stores and leisure buildings.
The introduction of ridesharing services to the area will not only be beneficial for those who do not have cars but for those with cars. Students and locals will now be able to sign up to make money by becoming ride-sharing drivers. The expansion will directly lead to more money-making opportunities in Grambling.
Linneka Watson, a sophomore from Memphis, is looking forward to using the ridesharing services.
“I think that Uber and Lyft coming to campus would be a great asset,” Watson said. “There are so many students who don’t have transportation and having to constantly ask people to take you places can become a hassle at times.”
Ridesharing services provide students with a sense of independence.
“For example, I am a student with no vehicle on campus and sometimes I’d rather not go somewhere even if I need to because I don’t want to consistently bother my friends,” Watson said.
Students have not been impressed by the current on-campus transportation system.
“I honestly don’t even use our transportation shuttles because it’s not as convenient as it should be. At least for me it isn’t,” sophomore Araya McNeary said.
The new expansion of the ridesharing services should be very beneficial for students in the upcoming school year in particular.
