A big question that arises for many students as they enter their first year of college is whether there is a need to have a car.
This is because there are both pros and cons to having a car while at college.
“I have been without a car my whole time at school,” said Kirsten Adams, 22, a senior from Ephrata, Wash. majoring in Elementary Education. “Because of this, there are times that I felt like a burden to people because I always had to bum rides from them.” “Yet, at other times it has been nice to be able to avoid some of the expenses that go into a having car.”
When someone decides to bring a car to BYU they are also deciding to take upon themselves the responsibility for making sure their car is approved by campus. The steps to getting a vehicle approved become an expense that students must deal with.
One of the requirements is to obtain a parking permit from the University Parking Services.
According to the traffic office all students who wish to park their vehicle on campus must acquire either a “C” parking permit for the dorm parking lots or a “Y” parking permit for students who commute to campus.
Prices of permits are also another expenses when deciding to bring to a car to college.
A “C” permit is $7 for the year where and a “Y” permit is $15 for the year.
Although, this is a very small amount when compared to other universities in the state.
According to the University of Utah parking department depending on what parking permit you get the cost could be either $60 or $120 depending on the permit.
However, before a student is eligible to receive a permit they must first have completed a Utah Safety Inspection, Utah County Emission Inspection and provide proof of insurance and registration for their vehicle.
The state and county inspections along with the parking permits are just one-time expenses a student must deal with. However, insurance is an expense that will be with a student throughout the year.
“If a student is on their own policy they may be looking at paying anywhere from $70-$120, depending on their driving record, age and type of car they drive,” said Shawn Cropper, insurance agent for the Insurance Group of Provo.
This could become a difficult burden to deal with each month.
The university has helped to create another option for those who may not have the luxury of a car while at college.
“Students are able to use their student ID cards to ride any UTA bus, other than the resort buses, and the TRAX system in Salt Lake free of charge,” said Carrie Jenkins, assistant to the President of University Communications.
One of the goals of the free ride bus program for BYU students is to help reduce the demand for parking, Jenkins said.
The free bus transportation has been a benefit to students.
“I like the fact that I am able to ride the bus and not have to worry about parking,” said Todd Swensen, 24, a senior from Provo majoring in international studies. “I can save the extra five or ten minutes it takes to ride the bus because I don’t have to fight for a parking place and walk all the way from the parking lots.”
There are many aspects to weigh when debating whether or not to bring a car to campus costs and convenience are just two of them.
