Students relying on public transportation to campus can use the Hornet Express Shuttle, Sacramento Regional Transit buses and Light Rail throughout the day, but classes ending at night leave students with less options to get home without using a car.

The shuttle runs Monday through Friday but stops running for the day at 5:10 p.m., before some night classes begin. The Night Shuttle runs until 11 p.m. for students needing to get to specific points on campus, but it does not leave Sacramento State.

“They’re kind of limiting,” said junior health science major Watta Tarmoh about the timing of the buses at night. “I wish it ran a little later.”

Both shuttles are already paid for since all students are required to pay a transportation fee.

Students can also ride the Light Rail for free if they have a Student Commuter Sleeve on their OneCard.

Hours for the shuttle were reduced at the beginning of the spring 2011 semester due to decreased passengers and have stayed the same since.

“Hornet Express hours are based on our data, we keep tallies based on how many rides board,” said Nancy Fox, senior director of University Transportation and Parking Services. “We have designed our hours based upon the strongest need for transportation.

Light Rail and RT buses are available for students leaving campus at night until 9 or 10 p.m., depending on the day of the week. The times of service could be extended in March, depending on RT’s future budget and public response.

TransitRenewal, the study developed by RT to improve the quality of service, includes the recommendation to restore services back to 11 p.m. during the week. Service time was scaled back in June 2010 due to budget cuts.

“We just went to the RT Board with an initial report,” said Alaine Masui, assistant general manager of marketing and communication. “One thing RT would like to do is reinstate the late-night RT services. It all depends on funding.”

Public hearings on how to improve services and getting a more accurate idea of where future ridership is in going to be needed will be held in February.

Safe Rides will begin operating on Feb. 8, assisting people who need rides home if it is within 10 miles of campus.

An Associated Students Inc. program designed to take drunk drivers off of the road, Safe Rides will take any student, staff or faculty member home, regardless of whether an individual is intoxicated or sober.

Safe Rides operates from Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and is run by volunteers, often student organizations to drive others home.

“It is a voluntary basis. If we don’t have certain groups, we don’t operate that night,” said Lauria Phan, assistant coordinator for Safe Rides. “For the most part, the majority of our days are staffed.”

Riders can get one ride a night, every night per semester for free. Having a OneCard is necessary and riders can only be taken home, not picked up from home or be taken to another destination.

Students and faculty who need more flexibility than the buses allow can sign up for Zipcars, which cost $25 to join. There are two cars available for members at any time of day, which have an hourly rate of $7 for the Ford Focus and $8 for the Toyota Prius. Both cars can be used for a day at a $66 cost.

Students who are not able to take advantage of public transportation can call a taxi at anytime, but being a Sac State student will not help with reducing the cost. A trip from Sac State to Raley Field from Yellow Cab, which is less than 10 miles, has an estimated fare from $27 to $31.

Mitchell Wilson can be reached at [email protected].