By luke alo
For BYU student Liang Tu, the complaints about increasing prices for on campus parking are irrelevant because he rides the bus for free.
Tu, 27, a BYU senior from China, majoring in electrical engineering, takes advantage of the free UTA bus passes for BYU students by riding the bus two or three times a day.
'At least it''s good for me. I don''t have a car,' Tu said.
Increasing the cost of on campus parking paid the contract that exists between BYU and UTA.
The Y sticker, which allows students to park on campus, used to cost $15 but now costs $60.
'People with cars don''t like it much because they have to pay more,' Tu said.
Katie Griffin, 21, a BYU senior from Killington, Conn., majoring in nursing, said taking the bus solves a lot of problems.
'I think it''s great,' Griffin said. 'If people would take the bus it''d be more environment friendly. I think it''s a good trade off.'
This is the first year for the increased prices, and BYU parking officials say they don''t know how many parking stickers they will sell now that students can take the bus.
'If they''re going to park on campus, they better buy a pass,' said Lt. Rhoades, BYU''s traffic representative. 'They''re the ones who''ll have to make the decision.'
Some students may choose to do both.
One such student is Jorge Salas. Salas, 23, a BYU junior from Ecuador, majoring in mechanical engineering, recently bought a car and said that he''ll buy a pass and take the bus.
'I think it''s good for students who live close to campus to take the bus,' Salas said. 'The short distance isn''t good for cars. But if I''m late for something or have an emergency, I want a parking pass.'
Rhoades said he has no way of predicting what will happen with on campus parking.
Although it may take time to know for sure how the UTA buses will affect on campus parking, some students have already made up their minds.
'It saves money on gas (by taking the bus),' Griffin said. 'Depending on where you live they come so frequently that you can actually get to campus faster than driving and parking.