The City of Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA) is merging with A&T in an effort to help students get around town with ease; Higher Education Area Transit (HEAT), a service provided by GTA is now adding A&T to its routes. All seven colleges or universities that are located within Greensboro city limits are now apart of the HEAT service. All fares are free through HEAT and students are able to connect to the GTA to get to parts of the city that HEAT does not run through.

HEAT has added two stops on campus to their regular routes; one at Market and Laurel and another at Market and Benbow. These two new HEAT stops are regular stops for the GTA. A&T students can use HEAT services by showing their Aggie One Cards, which are provided by the university to all students for identification purposes.

“HEAT has been in planning for about three years, but the service actually kicked off during Aug. 2006,” said Kevin Elwood, a transportation strategic information specialist of Greensboro.

All HEAT buses have a bright orange-yellow eye catching design. It was created by Jennifer Homer, a design major of GTCC, and GTA’s marketing committee decided to use the design.

GTA embraced Homer’s design for the new buses.

“We thought the design really captured the spirit of the service, it is fun and energetic,” Elwood said. HEAT has select stops so it does not stop at every stop like the GTA city bus routes, but students are able to transfer to any bus from HEAT buses free of charge. Most stops for this service are college campuses but it will also go to Friendly Shopping Center and J. Douglas Galyon Depot located in downtown Greensboro.

There are six routes that service the Greensboro area. All HEAT buses are handicap accessible and have bike racks.

“I think this is going to be a good thing for A&T. It will help students get around the city easier” Renita Murphy, a senior, political science major, said.

Elwood commented on the impact of this service on and the need for students to use it.

“This is a service that A&T is offering to the students in order to help with transportation needs and we really need them to utilize this service.”

HEAT is currently available to all students. Schedules are available at www.rideheat.com.

• Shana Brown