The Importance of Towson University's Alternative Transportation Program
The American Public Transportation Association (1) reported that while it may cost upwards of $2,675.29 to commute to work or school using a personal automobile, public transportation costs no more than $840 on average for a savings of over $1,800 per year. While one of the major motivations for switching from reliance on a personal vehicle for travel to schools such as Towson University is economic, it is also important to recognize that turning to alternative transportation processes and systems represents a vital contribution to the Green Initiative effort that has taken root at Towson and elsewhere in recent years.
Towson's Green Initiatives include services offered under the aegis of the university's Parking and Transportation Services division. As part of the overall assortment of green initiatives offered at Towson, this program is designed to reduce the negative environmental footprint that is inevitably associated with the university and its programs (Towson Alternative Transportation 1). Using Towson's Alternative Transportation Program and its Green Initiatives will reduce the cost of getting to and from the campus while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating overcrowding, and providing support to proactive environmental activities or efforts that work for the good of all concerned.
Under Towson University's Parking and Transportation services sector, alternative transportation is readily available in many different forms. Whether "its access to a carpooling database or a free ride to work via the off-campus shuttle, Parking and Transportation Services is committed to providing alternative transportation options to the campus community" (Towson University Parking and Transportation Services 1, 1). The division encourages students, faculty, and staff members alike to take advantage of the many different for...