College students in Tallahassee have a new way to get around. StarMetro officially launched its new Rhythm Route that services All Saints, College Town, Gaines Street, downtown and Midtown areas.
There are two buses, both of which are fare-free. They will run Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Buses will come every 20 minutes for a total trip time of 40 minutes. They will only stop if a person is waiting at the stop or if someone signals the driver to get off.
“Our new Rhythm will offer residents fun, safe and convenient transport between several exciting nightspots and shopping areas that have become very popular,” City Commissioner Nancy Miller said. “We hope that everyone will jump aboard the Rhythm to visit these local shops and restaurants.”
Samuel Scheib, senior planner at StarMetro, said this project has been years in the making.
“This is something that we have been talking about for a few years,” Scheib said. “There has been a lot of support from the city commission to find some way to bring together the different parts of the greater downtown areas.”
There are 21 stops along the route with a small, rectangular sign designating each. The route travels between Gaines Street and Sixth Avenue, making stops along sections of Madison Street, Railroad Avenue, Macomb Street, College Avenue, Adams Street, Carolina Street, North Monroe Street and Thomasville Road.
“There’s been a lot of interest from business owners in Midtown particularly and of course Gaines Street and College Town,” Scheib said. “Sometimes transit is easy to plan. You just figure out what you are trying to serve and you put it on a map and draw lines around it. And that’s what we did with this.”
The route gives passengers access to about 72 bars, restaurants, hotels and cultural institutions within a .25-mile radius.
Marvin White, a senior music student from Orlando, said he is excited about the new service.