Many students may not be aware of the benefits of the free, fixed–route bus system that runs through Winthrop’s campus, My Ride Rock Hill. If you reside on campus, there is a very slim chance that you have never seen the My Ride bus drive through campus. At the very least, you have probably gone past their bus stops.
Sophomore English major Emily Morris has heard about My Ride before and has used it once but has yet to use it again. However, Morris thinks it is a very useful way to run errands.
“I personally don’t have a car on campus, so it would be useful to be able to go places without having to rely on a friend,” Morris said.
Katie Quinn, My Ride communications and marketing manager, plays a big role in contributing to the development and growth of the bus system.
“My Ride is the city’s fare-free bus system. It is a six-route system that runs from Monday-Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” Quinn said. “There are multiple stops on campus, but there’s also a couple available off–campus as well.”
There are multiple areas available for students to visit, whether it is to run errands or head downtown.
“One of the biggest perks of taking the bus is that there’s a bunch of different grocery stores. You can go to the nearest Publix or Food Lion,” Quinn said. “You can also travel to Target or the Galleria Mall area where there are several shopping centers. You can go downtown or maybe even a park.”
The buses themselves come with several amenities, like Wi-Fi.
“The bus comes with Wi-Fi and charging ports if you ever need them,” Quinn said. “Also our buses are electrical, so they’re environmentally friendly and don’t make too much noise. They are also accessible and accommodat[ing] to people who need to bring their bicycles with them on the bus.”
Another contributor to the My Ride system is Winthrop Sustainability Coordinator Christopher Johnson.
“Part of sustainability looks at community development: ‘What do we value in our communities? What type of community do we want to live in?’ Our participation in the community determines that,” Johnson said. “The more people we get out of car[s] and in alternative transportation helps the community as well as the environment.”
Although the bus has great advantages, some students do not take advantage of My Ride due to a lack of understanding of how to navigate the bus route.
“I am comfortable riding the bus, but not comfortable enough to use it alone,” Morris said. “I sort of know what it is, but I don’t know how the stops or schedules work.”
Morris once had an unfortunate travel experience with My Ride when she and her friend got lost.
“Honestly, I didn’t have a great experience because my friend said she was going to figure everything out, and she read the schedule wrong, and I ended up being late for one of my classes,” Morris said.
Johnson has been made aware of students’ concerns and expressed his interest in helping students learn how to use My Ride.
“I’ve been thinking of creating an event where I could gather some students, and we could ride the bus route for some time so they could become more comfortable with a hands-on approach,” Johnson said. “That way, it could help students be aware of the benefits of My Ride, and they wouldn’t be afraid of riding on their own.”
My Ride is always looking for ways to expand routes across the city.
“With the city expanding, there’s more people commuting here and more events to go to and see,” Quinn said. “So it all comes down to money, buses are expensive to buy, but we also have backup buses right now. [W]e’re trying to grow the system, but also make sure we have enough buses to cover the routes. [W]e’re trying to grow with not only more routes but also more service hours and shorten the wait time on the buses.”
For more information on My Ride or how to use it, you can download the My Ride Rock Hill app, available on the App Store or Google Play, or be sure to visit the site at https://myriderockhill.com.
