The introduction of the My Ride bus system over the summer was met with positive reactions from students and residents of Rock Hill. During the first few months of the bus system’s operation, the buses were noticeably empty, but the city expected the usage to increase significantly once Winthrop’s fall semester started.
Despite this, when you see the buses going through the on-campus stops, it is rare to see students getting on or off them. Just the presence of the buses and the signs for the stops on campus should be enough for students to be aware that the buses can be used for travel throughout town. But it still seems like students are not aware of all the benefits that the bus system offers.
Freshman theatre major Isabella Ferretti uses the My Ride system in place of a car when she has to run errands throughout town, but doesn’t feel like many other students are using the system to its full advantage.
“I think students should use it because it’s already running, so they don’t have to use their cars and it would save them money on gas,” Ferretti said, “I don’t think they are because maybe it doesn’t go to everywhere they need to go.”
This might be a common misconception about the system, but the bus goes to most major areas of Rock Hill that are popular for Winthrop students.
One of the four bus routes, the Downtown/Knowledge Park Loop, makes several stops on the Winthrop campus, including at the end of Scholars Walk between the Music Conservatory and Kinard Hall. On this bus loop, you can reach Downtown Rock Hill from several points, including at Fountain Park.
With about a 10-25 minute walk from Winthrop depending on where you start, you can reach the nearest to campus My Ride Transit Hub for the Dave Lyle/Galleria Line, which will take you to the Target and Walmart Supercenter on Dave Lyle.
The Cherry/Riverwalk Line has bus stops on campus near Joynes Hall as well as at the same spot near Scholars Walk as the Downtown/Knowledge Park Loop. This route is currently detoured due to the construction on Cherry Road, but it normally takes riders down past I-77, to the discount supermarket, Lidl.
On top of convenience, using the My Ride bus system is a good way to reduce your personal carbon footprint. The buses run entirely on electricity, making their emissions minuscule compared to using your own car.
Téa Franco, senior mass communication major, has not had a car throughout her time at Winthrop and is now excited to see Rock Hill’s implementation of the new bus system, but thinks that students who do have their own transport should be utilizing the system as well.
“It’s better for the environment than driving your car everywhere, it has multiple convenient stops around campus and at Campus Walk, and it’s free so it will save you money on gas,” Franco said.
Franco says that the only downside to using the system is having to plan out your trips, but that after a few tries she was able to get it right using the My Ride Rock Hill app.
Having to plan out the timing of a trip to the grocery store is worth it, however, when you take into account the money you are saving on gas as well as how beneficial using the system is for the planet.
Students using the bus system should be something that becomes more normalized on campus. It is a new benefit of going to Winthrop and living in the Rock Hill area and should be treated as such.
To learn more information about bus routes, stops and times, you can download the My Ride Rock Hill app, available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.
Photo: Marisa Fields-Williams/ The Johnsonian
