By Luke White, Champlain College student
Being a college student without a car is not at all uncommon. This is why, for many students, a walkable area for school is an important part of the college picking process. Burlington, for many years, has been noted by numerous publications as one of the top college towns in the country. One of the appeals of Burlington to prospective students is its walkable downtown area, including the well-known Church Street Marketplace. The downtown area is not only easy to walk around but provides students with access to countless shops and restaurants. Arguably the greatest benefit to students is the fact that downtown is only a short distance downhill from UVM and Champlain College. Walking or biking downtown is often more advantageous than driving because finding a parking spot downtown can sometimes be a challenge.
Despite how much downtown holds, it does not have everything. Students may need or want to go somewhere else to find what they are looking for. Another popular shopping destination for students is the University Mall which is considerably further away from both colleges; not exactly a comfortable walking distance. Obviously, having access to a car is the fastest and easiest way to get to the mall, which contains student attractions such as Target, Trader Joes, and Hannaford. The other main method of going to UMall is by taking one of the Green Mountain Transit buses. While not the most convenient, the bus system does get the job done and is student friendly. Student IDs allow students to not have to pay the bus fare when riding. The buses have plenty of drop-off and pick-up locations around Chittenden County. All of the schedules and routes can be found on the Green Mountain Transit website or the Transit app. Two specific bus routes that make stops near UVM and Champlain College campuses along with stopping at the mall are the Williston bus and the Airport bus. The Transit app is very useful for bus riders because it allows for tracking of bus locations and bus stops. The buses are even bike friendly since they have racks that allow passengers to bring a bike with them wherever they are going. A guide to help bikers familiarize themselves with the buses can be found here.
Another, more recent, alternative way to get around town is the Bird bikeshare program. This is another fairly convenient, student friendly, and inexpensive option. Renting an e-bike is intuitive enough as it is all done through the Bird app. There are designated parking spots for the bikes so it is, in theory, an organized system. E-bikes are convenient because they assist the rider with a motor when pedaling. This makes riding around town, especially up hills, much more approachable and accessible for everyone. The price for renting Bird bikes is also quite fair. There is a $1 fee to unlock a bike, and every minute of use will only cost 49 cents each. Bikes also make longer trips possible. It would normally be inconvenient to walk to the old north end, south end, or even Winooski from downtown Burlington but an e-bike would make these trips far less daunting.
Photo Courtesy of Bird Bikes.
About the Author: Luke is a student in his senior year at Champlain College. While originally from Massachusetts, he has spent lots of time in Vermont while growing up. To him, living in Burlington for the past four years has been an enjoyable change from living in a small town back home. Luke has been around bikes for most of his life and spends his summers getting around his hometown on his bike.