FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Amy Kremenek
August 13, 2010 (315) 498-2988 or 317-9580
FREE CENTRO BUS RIDE PROGRAM PILOTED IN 2009-10 MODIFIED
New program offers discount on bus rides anywhere in Onondaga County
SYRACUSE, NY – Onondaga Community College and Centro announced today that the “Free Ride” program that was piloted during the last academic year will be modified for the 2010-11 academic year. The program, which provided free bus rides on Centro to anywhere in Onondaga County for all students enrolled at Onondaga Community College in 2009-2010, will now instead provide a 25-cent discount on bus fare, representing a 20 percent discount on Zone 1 fares. The program will still be available to all currently enrolled students on rides to and from any location in Onondaga County.
The program cost the OCC Association nearly $200,000 in 2009-10 and was modified due to budget constraints. The revised program will be funded on a per-ride (versus a flat rate) basis, and is estimated to cost a maximum of $88,250, a 56 percent savings.
“Onondaga Community College and Centro worked diligently to negotiate a ride program that provided a student discount and one that would be financially viable for both organizations. While we were unable to maintain a free ride program, we are pleased that we did not have to resort to discontinuing the program completely. By offering a ride discount students will be able to stretch their transportation dollars,” said William Emm, chief financial officer for Onondaga Community College.
The discount program requires that students present a valid Onondaga Community College student ID with a current bus program sticker. Stickers can be obtained at the College’s Smart Card office in the Gordon Student Center beginning August 16, 2010. Students can begin receiving the fare discount on August 23, 2010, and the program is effective for the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters.
With more than 12,000 students, Onondaga Community College is the second-largest undergraduate institution in Central New York and one of the nation’s fastest-growing community colleges. Founded in 1961, it is a comprehensive two-year college operating under the State University of New York (SUNY) and is locally sponsored by Onondaga County. Onondaga offers nearly 50 programs of study, bachelor and master’s degrees available on campus through the Regional Higher Education Center, and more than 80 transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. Home to four-time NJCAA national champion men’s lacrosse and 2009 NJCAA women’s lacrosse teams, Onondaga has fifteen intercollegiate men’s and women’s athletic teams.
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