Coconino Community College student worker Kadie Radics shows off her new free NAIPTA bus pass. Courtesy photo
FLAGSTAFF — The Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (NAIPTA) and Coconino Community College (CCC) boards of directors have entered into a one-year agreement to provide Mountain Line transit passes to all CCC students and employees.
This pilot program, which will end on August 31, 2017, is the innovative solution that arose out of discussions between the two organizations about CCC’s parking shortages during peak class times. CCC is well-served by existing transit service, with five buses an hour stopping in front of the school on weekdays. If transit ridership among CCC employees and students increases, the organizations hope to see a correlating decrease in parking demand.
“Increased transit ridership is often an economical alternative to building expensive parking lots, and we are eager to evaluate our pilot program with CCC to see if we can move the needle with this group,” said NAIPTA CEO & General Manager Jeff Meilbeck. “The manageable population size at CCC will help us determine if a program like this is viable on a larger scale.”
“The partnership between Mountain Line and Coconino Community College is a wonderful benefit for our students and employees here at CCC,” said President Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D. “The free bus pass program will certainly help our students who may have transportation challenges and will also help with parking issues during the College’s peak times of use. One of our core values at the CCC is Sustainability, and this partnership will certainly help protect the environment with decreased use of vehicles by our students and employees.”
All current CCC employees and enrolled students are eligible to receive a pass during the pilot program. All pilot program participants will be required to present a CCC identification card, and when a student or employee leaves CCC, their pass will be surrendered or deactivated. The passes are valid on all Mountain Line routes at any time of day. To get a bus pass, a student or employee must have a valid CCC ID card, fill out a form, sign to accept the terms and conditions and then proceed to the Student Reception area at the Lone Tree Campus, where a Business Office staff member will be stationed during peak enrollment periods.
NAIPTA and CCC will review ridership data and evaluate the program after the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters to determine future plans beyond the pilot program.
NAIPTA is the transit agency in northern Arizona operating the Mountain Line, Mountain Lift and Mountain Link systems in Flagstaff. NAIPTA also coordinates services with Campus Shuttle Service at Northern Arizona University. Visit www.mountainline.az.gov for more information.
Student success is the heart and purpose of Coconino Community College. CCC provides affordable tuition and a wide variety of certificates and degrees including career/technical education with nearly 50 certificate programs and two-year associate degrees in various fields including nursing, fire science, law enforcement, construction trades and business. The award-winning CCC2NAU program provides an innovative way to smooth a student’s path toward a bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University with tailored advisement and institutional collaboration, including access to amenities at NAU.
Since 1991, CCC has served residents across 18,000 square miles of Coconino County. CCC has helped create the region’s skilled workforce, which is improving overall health, safety and the economy in the region. Today, CCC serves more than 7,500 students per year with two campuses in Flagstaff and an Instructional Site in Page. CCC reaches out to the more rural portions of the County through in-person, online and Interactive Television classes, including Williams, the Grand Canyon/Tusayan, Fredonia, Tuba City and other remote areas on the Navajo, Hopi and Supai Tribal Lands. Nearly 20 percent of CCC’s students are Native American Learners.