Letter to the Editor, St. Louis American, March 16-22, 2023
St. Louis Community College partnered with other higher education institutions in the region to help promote the benefits of public transit use through Citizens for Modern Transit’s College Transit Challenge. The weeklong effort encouraged hundreds of college students, staff and faculty to better familiarize themselves with the local transit system and take advantage of Metro Transit’s U-Pass Program to get where they need to go. The challenge kicked off with a Mascot Meetup where each of the school’s mascots, including our very own Archie the Fox, experienced the benefits of MetroLink. Amid the fun, an important message was communicated – our region has a world-class, integrated public transit system that connects area residents to hundreds of area hotspots, as well as businesses and educational institutions.
At St. Louis Community College, our mission is to make education affordable and accessible, and public transportation is a critical component of achieving that goal. The Metro Transit system is a great option for those going to our multiple campuses, as well as to jobs and internships.
A key to utilization is being comfortable with how to use MetroLink and MetroBus. This challenge helped students realize the benefits of transit, the ease of usability and, most importantly, confirmed that transit is a safe option. I highly encourage all St. Louisans to get on board and experience the wonderful realities of transit access.
D’Andre Braddix
Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, St. Louis Community College
Vice-Chair of Citizens for Modern Transit Board of Directors