» By ERICKA CONLEY – econley@my.apsu.edu

For the past three years, APSU has provided the Peay Pickup for students and faculty as transportation around the APSU campus, and interest in the service has experienced dramatic growth in that time.

Partnering with the Clarksville Transit System, the SGA was able to provide students, faculty and staff the Peay Pickup service.

CTS also provides free of charge public bus transportation to those with a valid APSU ID.

In March 2008, students voted for the implementation of the Peay Pickup. During its first year of operation thousands of people utilized its service, and its ridership continues to grow.

Gregory Singleton, dean of students, said, “The SGA has continued to increase publicity for the Peay Pickup this fall. I think there is a direct correlation between the amount of advertisement and the number of riders. There is a more concentrated focus on providing transportation alternatives to our students, faculty [and] staff.”

There have been concerns about the road construction near APSU on 2nd Avenue. Traffic is being forced through alternate routes to access the APSU campus and surrounding streets.

In some cases, traffic is congested and students and faculty spend more time reaching their destinations.

“With the construction on College Street and 2nd Avenue, The Peay Pickup route had to be modified,” Singleton said. “We were able to work with the Clarksville Transit System to re-route the trolley so it could continue to make a complete route on campus in a minimum amount of time.”

As of press time, there has been no exact date given to the completion of the road construction on 2nd Avenue.

The cost of the Peay Pickup is covered through the General Access Fee charged to all students each semester. The fee is $8 and includes the Clarksville Transit Authority buses.

The fee is good for the entire semester. Each student is assessed this fee even if not actively using the service.

All students, faculty or staff member need a university ID in order to use the Peay Pickup, along with a Peay Pickup card, which is accompanied by a brochure containing a map of the trolley route.

Individuals who do not possess a Peay Pickup card can still ride the trolley but would have to pay full fare. TAS