<p>My son won’t be having a car on campus, at least not the 1st semester anyway. I see that there is a Trolley (bus) system operated by the city that sort of serves The University separate from Crimson Ride. I went to their website but they do a poor job of mapping out the routes IMHO. </p>
<p>Can anyone familiar with the system tell me how often it runs, where it stops on campus, and what the best bus route would be for getting out to either the Target or Walmart?</p>
<p>Would it even be worth the hassle or should son just pay for a cab when he needs to get somewhere off campus?</p>
<p>No, it would not be worth the hassle unless your son has several hours to spare just to get the Target to Walmart. The buses in Tuscaloosa are not reliable at all.</p>
<p>More than likely, he will make friends with people who have cars and can thus just tag along with them when needed.</p>
<p>However, it’s more likely that your son will have at least one suitemate or friend with a car, so that’s how he’ll more likely get to places like Target and such. Target is very close to Midtown Village which is frequented by many students. </p>
<p>My son has a car on campus, and he takes friends to wherever they need to go on weekends. They usually just co-ordinate an “errand run” with whatever else they want to do - such as go to the movies, etc. </p>
<p>Of course, if your son needed to get somewhere and no friend was available, he could call a taxi or use those little campus rental cars (Zip Cars). But, typically, a friend would help him. </p>
<p>I know that I’ve seen the T-Trolley on 15th and McFarland (which is where Target is), but I don’t know if the trolley goes that close to Bama to complete a route.</p>
<p>I make a point to try the public transportation wherever I am. Thus, I’ve gone to Wal-Mart twice on the trolley. It requires an easy transfer downtown though. It is not something many students do; few know Tuscaloosa even has a bus system. What it does provide is the opportunity to be around people not connected to the university and it also provides a tour of lower-income Tuscaloosa. It does take all day, especially if the buses are running late, so try to use it when you don’t have class. A car is highly preferred, but for $2.40 roundtrip, the bus is cheap transportation if you don’t have a car. They are getting new buses in September, which will be nice. Personally, I think students should take the Trolley for a perspective on how other people live. It might make some of them a little more respectful and mature.</p>