By Ashley Evanson
Students who miss the bus just as it pulls from the curb may be relieved to find they no longer need to hitchhike to school: UTA bus schedules have changed.
At the request of BYU officials, buses now serve student-housing areas more frequently, and little-used bus stops have been eliminated, said Justin Jones, spokesman for the Utah Transit Authority.
The changed bus routes and schedules that will affect students are route numbers 820, 822, 831, 832 and 833.
Students like Nate Lott have already found the new student-oriented schedules to be more convenient. The bus he rides from Raintree Apartments now arrives every half hour instead of every 45 minutes like it used to.
However, other students like Rachel Lee have found the changes to be more untimely than before, and not necessarily a good thing. She said the pick-up times from last year were a lot more convenient and worked better in correlation with students'' class schedules.
Either way, Jones said as the school year progresses UTA will look at market changes to decide if the new schedules really are in the best interest of students and UTA, and will change or keep them based on results and current demands.
For information about the new route and time changes visit UTA''s Web site at www.rideuta.com. The Web site offers schedules and maps for various bus routes around all of Utah, not just Utah County.