As the semester begins, knowing how to get “where-you-need-to-be” is crucial! Whether you’ll travel by Aggie Spirit transit bus, Blinn College shuttle, car, truck, motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, Segway, unicycle, skateboard, or foot, you need to learn the ropes and routes quickly.
Just as important as getting “where-you-need-to-be” is arriving “when-you-need-to-be-there.” Blinn College has a strict attendance policy, and violators will be dropped from courses. On both campuses, some professors may close their doors when class begins and not allow latecomers to enter and disrupt their lectures. It’s better to be WAY EARLY than a minute late. (Hint: To avoid embarrassing confrontations, turn off and put away your cell phone as you enter the classroom. Few things irritate professors more than a student paying attention to a cell phone instead of a lecture.)
A&M Buses
During the first couple of weeks of each Fall semester, many new students at A&M experiment with the best modes of getting to class. This Fall there’ll be more students than ever before trying to ride the A&M transit buses. If you live off campus and dawdle about getting to the bus stop, you could be in trouble. In the mornings, once a bus is filled to capacity it won’t stop for you—there’s no more room and the driver knows no one will be exiting at an apartment complex that early. If the next bus is also full…. You get the picture. If you’re likely to have trouble making it to the bus stop early enough, it might be time to get yourself a new rooster! Be at your bus stop VERY early for the first few mornings. During this period, some students may decide to commute by other means. Before long you’ll be able to determine what time you need to be at the bus stop each day to reliably reach your destination on time.
If you’ll be riding an A&M bus you can determine the appropriate bus route by consulting the “Leave Times & Maps” page of the transport website for route information (http://transport.tamu.edu/busroutes/). You can also call 979-847-RIDE for help in determining the appropriate route to reach your destination. Remember to have your ID card handy—you may have to show it to board.
Make sure the bus stop near where you live is a designated Aggie Spirit bus stop with a route number displayed on the sign. A&M buses only stop at these specific locations. (Note: The route that connects Blinn and A&M is Route 12, also known as the “Reveille” route.) When the bus arrives, enter through the front doors; the rear doors serve as the exit. If no seats are available, stand in the aisle behind the yellow line in the front of the bus. Never occupy the stairwells when the bus is in motion.
Buses don’t always stop. If no students are waiting for the bus at a particular stop, the driver will keep going unless a passenger pulls the cord in advance to indicate a need to de-board at the next opportunity. Pull the cord far enough in advance so the driver can execute a safe stop.
Pay attention. Anticipate arrival at your destination. Once the bus has pulled away from a stop the driver can’t let anyone else off. When you reach your stop, take all of your belongings and exit through the rear doors. Walk behind the bus and use crosswalks to cross streets. This is important! City traffic doesn’t stop for A&M buses like the law requires for “yellow dog” school buses. Additionally, please realize that drivers off campus are not accustomed to students jaywalking in front of traffic the way students often do on campus.
Blinn Shuttle
If you’re at Blinn and need to get to the “Tejas Shopping Center” location, Blinn College offers a free shuttle. The Central Administrative Services Building is now located at 3125 South Texas Ave., Suite 1900. There students can meet with Admissions & Records, Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, Veterans Services and Academic Advising.
The shuttle will operate from 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The bus will pick up and drop off students in 30-minute intervals. Catch the shuttle at the Texas A&M Bus Stop located at the rear exit of the Student Center on the Blinn campus. Students must have a Blinn ID to ride the shuttle. Students who use the Central Administrative Services Building will receive a token that will allow them to ride the bus back to the Blinn campus.
Historical Notes:
An early attempt to provide transportation services for students between the A&M campus and Bryan was known as the “Interurban Jitney. ” It began in 1916, but by 1919 the decision had been made to discontinue it. One account mentioned that passengers had to occasionally get out and push the vehicle so it could top a rise along the route.
Buses at Aggieland have come a long way:
The ad above is from the June 2, 1942 edition of The Battalion. The bus is pictured near Hotard Hall, not far from what is now a stop on the Reveille Route to Blinn College.
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