MSU students can ride campus bus routes for free beginning this fall

EAST LANSING - Students at Michigan State University can get a free ride this fall. Lots of them, actually. And they aren't the only ones. 

Bus service for campus routes operated by the Capital Area Transportation Authority will be free for students, staff and faculty beginning Aug. 27, MSU announced Wednesday. 

Prior to the pilot program, MSU was subsidizing faculty, staff, and student rides at a cost of about $2 million per year, MSU spokesperson Emilly Guerrant said.

MSU expects to spend up to $850,000 more for the free rides program, with that money coming from the general fund. 

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The free rides will operate on a trial basis through June 30, 2019, according to the amended contract with CATA. Routes 30 through 39 are included in the free pilot program. Lot Link, Night Owl, and Spec-Tran services aren't included.

MSU and CATA could also extend the program beyond the trial year under their amended contract. 

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.