Despite rising fuel prices and local construction, the Huskie Bus Lines keeps trekking NIU students across campus, DeKalb and Sycamore.

So far, rising fuel prices spurred by the Persian Gulf crisis have not affected the service because the diesel needed to run the buses is bought in bulk, said Huskie Lines Manager Charlie Battista. “We haven’t had much going on this summer so we didn’t buy any fuel,” Battista said.

Also, NIU’s contract with Huskie Lines has a clause covering fuel prices. “The contracted amount is $1.05 per gallon,” Battista said. “If the price goes higher than that, the university has to pay the difference but, on the other hand, if the price is below that, the university is refunded the difference.”

Todd Allen, Student Association mass transit adviser, is printing fliers encouraging students to use public transportation whenever possible in order to conserve energy.

“Not only is it a way to conserve fuel but its cheaper for students to use the bus than to drive themselves,” Allen said.

Construction on Lincoln Highway west of Annie Glidden Road might cause some delays for the buses, but no major problems are expected. “We don’t anticipate a reroute at this time,” Battista said. “The city said the street will remain open.”

However, delays are expected near the residence halls because of the large number of freshmen, prompting the SA to add a new route servicing the area. “A new route, the 4R, has been added to handle the increasing number of riders from the residence halls,” Allen said.

Also, the 7/9 route serving Sycamore is still in service, Allen said.

Huskie Lines is beginning its 20th year of service to NIU and the DeKalb/Sycamore area. During that time, the lines have grown to be one of the most widely-used public transportation services in the state with 3 million riders anually.