Eco-friendly transportation system has become one of the most powerful tools to reduce the impact of Global Warming due to the significant increase of motor vehicles which will somehow contribute to the increased greenhouse gas emissions. A study conducted in 2014 revealed that there were approximately a total of 62,000 units of motor vehicles on and around USU campus on a day-to-day basis.
Diverting traffic from private to public transport will be one of the strategies potentially minimizing the number of vehicles. In implementing this strategy, USU has made several policies which will eventually lead to the decreasing number of motor vehicles on and around the campus.
To implement the strategy, USU provides transit service on and around USU Campus called LINUS (Lintas USU/USU shuttle bus service) operating regularly on a scheduled time and lines. The LINUS program launched on 9 March 2013 with two buses on the outset. Currently, LINUS has a fleet of 8 buses with 16 bus stops which are called USU lanes.
The transit service operates every working day at different times. From Monday through Friday, these buses run from 08:00 to 17:00, but on Saturday, they run from 08:00 to 13:00. For LINUS users’ convenience, these buses are operated by a driver and a conductor standing on the rear door. To use this transit service, users can wait at the 16 bus stops as the point of arrivals and departures.
To note that one of the factors leading to the private transport users’ reluctance to use public transport is the unavailability of on-campus transportation. The vast total area of USU campus and unfavorable weather conditions need additional means of transportation. LINUS service is one of the answers to such problem.
Other than that, LINUS may also serve as a means of introducing the campus area to the students as it passes by every faculty and other important campus buildings. Besides, LINUS serves as an effective means for some students to get their faculty, especially for those who do not own private vehicles. (Kartika Oktarija/rds)