In these first weeks of school, UTEP students have returned to practicing many back-to-school routines. One of those routines is waiting in a crowd to board the shuttle, which is as exciting as it sounds.
While the shuttle continues to be a mode of public transportation for UTEP students who are far away from campus, another opportunity has shown itself. As of Sept. 3, the El Paso Streetcar will change its hours and offer free rides to take UTEP and EPCC students to their campuses.
Used in El Paso throughout the mid to late 20th century, streetcars were once a reliable form of transportation for many until the city’s routes closed in the 70s. Around five years ago, El Paso announced their revival, and they have been in service around the downtown area.
“The El Paso Streetcar will offer more morning and weekend hours effective Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023, to expand public transit options for residents and visitors, particularly students and other early morning commuters,” said Tammy Fonce, an El Paso Streetcar spokeswoman. “The Streetcar runs along a 4.8-mile route comprised of two loops that weave through El Paso’s downtown and uptown areas passing near the University of Texas at El Paso, restaurants, hospitals and government offices, among other locations.”
Soon, the streetcar will be available from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Thursday, 7 am to 11 pm on Friday, noon to 11 pm on Saturday and noon to 6 pm on Sunday. Along with these extended hours, the streetcar will also be free for students to ride.
“I didn’t know about that actually. I rode (the streetcar) once when it opened,” said Braulio Sanchez, an ecology and evolutionary biology major at UTEP.
Sol Saenz, another UTEP student majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology, told The Prospector how much more the streetcar’s extended hours can positively affect other students who depend on the campus shuttle for transportation.
“I think that’s pretty awesome. I think it would make it more accessible, like time wise and financially (because) it’s free,” Saenz said.
For now, these hours will continue until further notice and work to serve college students whose only way of getting to school may be public transportation. Not only do these changes make it easier for students to make it to school on time, but it can also take away stress from UTEP’s shuttle services and allow both transportation methods to take care of more students.
Elisha Nunez is a staff reporter and can be reached through [email protected]
