As Seen On: WeAreIU.com -- "5 Reasons Why You Don't Need A Car At IU"

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Hey there Hoosiers!

I'm sure all through high school everyone thought they needed a car, and for a lot of you, it was probably an honest necessity; but, please, save your gas, and don't even worry about bringing that thing to college. Now, I understand that this might come as a shock to a lot of you but to convince most I have created a wonderful list of 5 reasons why you don't need a car at Indiana University.

1) Buses

While you're a student at Indiana University you are supplied with an ID that allows you free access to all of the buses. This isn't just all IU buses, but, also, all of the buses around Bloomington. The routes on campus are perfect for getting almost anywhere. Did you know we have one of the best transportation systems in the state? The routes around campus are easy to learn and most buses have a stop on all sides of campus (You can go to this site to see all the routes http://www.iubus.indiana.edu/campus_bus/bus_schedule.html). Also, IU has their wonderful IUMobile app for most smart phones that can show you where the buses are at in real time! The Bloomington buses are really nice, too! Just flash your student ID and all the drivers will let you on. The mall, different apartments, and much more are right on the way when you take a Bloomington bus. Click here to see their bus schedule http://bloomingtontransit.com/maps-and-schedules/.

2) Traffic
Okay, so this seems like a silly reason not to have a car, but traffic in Bloomington is absolutely ridiculous during the school season. Students are always trying to get from place to place as fast as possible, Bloomington citizens are attempting to move along their way and all the other people are stopping traffic as they cross at the cross-walks. Believe me when I say, it's almost always faster to walk somewhere on campus than drive your car. And then, even if you do drive, you still have to find a parking spot...

3) Parking
Bloomington is a beautiful city to be attending school. The town, as well as the campus, is absolutely stunning and that's all because of the airy nature and green landscape surrounding everything. The downfall--we have less parking. Ugly lots don't look good on a beautiful campus so IU has few parking spaces. Even if you find a nice parking spot, you usually need a pass. Passes can be purchased but tend to be expensive AND Indiana University doesn't just hand them out to anyone. There are a limited number of passes available and a limited amount of spots for all those passes to park at. A lot of students that I have talked to are not deterred from bringing their car to campus because of the traffic, but because of the lack of parking available once you have that car down here.

4) Exercise
I know all of you are not in a big hurry to gain the freshman 15 or any weight at all, so one of my major deciding factors into why I did not need to bring a car to IU was the exercise that I would receive if I took the alternate route and walked, biked, skated, scootered, anything! From the southern tip of Forest Dormitory to one of the furthest classes at the Psychology Building, the average person can make it there in about 15-20 minutes when walking, let alone if you rode your bike. Michaella Beatty wrote a wonderful post about navigating around Bloomington that you can read here: Navigating Indiana University Bloomington...WITHOUT A CAR.

5) More Buses
Now the last topic I know you all are wanting me to address is the idea of going home on some of the weekends. For me, that was a huge reason as to why I wanted a car while at college. Home can be hours away for a lot of you, and making your parents drive all the way to Bloomington and then all the way back again can be more of a hassle than it's worth, but please don't worry, I have a solution: Catch a Ride! This company is family owned, and they are here for you almost every other weekend so students can catch a super nice ride home in their nice greyhound-style buses! WOW, right?? Tickets are reasonably priced and they have many stops and routes. Check them out here: http://www.catcharide.com!

There are definitely more positives about not having a car like not paying for gas, not worrying about theft, etc. I hope I can persuade most of you not to worry about a vehicle in Bloomington; your decision not to will make life a lot easier for you and the rest of the IU Bloomington community!