Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Casey Hilder

The hassle of navigating through traffic and finding parking downtown is driving some students to take the Memphis Area Transit Authority's Tiger express buses.

The MATA University of Memphis Basketball Express program lets students buy $5 round-trip tickets and $105 season passes to home games at the FedEx Forum. MATA offers nine different routes from locations like Collierville, Germantown, Whitehaven, Raleigh and East Memphis.

MATA representatives will sell passes at the pick up locations, which are listed at MATAtransit.com.

"We'll drop you off at the door," said Lawson Albritton, director of operations for MATA. "If the weather's bad, you're not going to get wet or cold."

Convenience is the main reason LaBradford Millen, sophomore electrical engineering major, takes the bus to basketball games.

"I don't have to take my own car, so it's good on gas," he said. "It would be good for people to ride the bus and get to know people."

Since 1990, MATA riders, who are mostly non-students, have enjoyed the company from other Tiger fans on the buses while traveling to games, Albritton said.

"They're like a little family. They've gotten to know each other over the years," he said.

The nine buses fill with excitement on the way to the first exhibition game, Albritton said.

"It's like starting back to school the first of the year," he said. "They'll all be there buying their season passes and ask about each other's summers. It's like a big carpool."

While some students like the idea of sharing a ride with fans, Quinton Johnson, sophomore education major, said he would be reluctant to ride with strangers because he is accustomed to riding with friends.

"I guess the bus would be easier," he said. "A lot of places charge the same price for parking, so I'll just keep riding with friends."

Getting more people to ride the bus could decrease parking costs downtown, said Chad McKee, sophomore music industry major.

"It seems like a good idea," he said. "I might look into it and get a group of people. We should start a Facebook group to recruit riders."

Besides the practical benefits, the bus' program has the wheels spinning in other students' minds about possible benefits to the environment.

Spencer Hardy, sophomore biology major, said he would ride the bus to be more eco-friendly.

"It would be better for the environment because there would be less CO2 emissions," he said. "The fewer cars used to get to the game, the better."

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