More convenient transportation is needed at NIU outside of just campus and DeKalb-based needs.

Last week, Zipcar, a car sharing company, extended its services to give students the option of renting and using a car.

NIU can stand to learn from Zipcar’s idea of convenient and hassle-free transportation to expand or add services for students other than just going to class or Walmart.

The Elburn bus shuttle is the only form of transportation that leaves DeKalb to take students to the Metra station; however, the shuttle leaves only on Fridays and Sundays.

This limits a student’s ability to leave if he or she does not own a car or cannot drive.

I’ve written before that staying on campus on weekends versus going home helps to heighten the college experience; however, as students, sometimes things happen and we need to leave campus.

Having the Elburn shuttle run once each day and including Saturday as an option for leaving would be a good start toward more convenience in NIU’s transportation system.

“When it comes to transportation, our primary concern is addressing all of student concerns and needs to make sure that they’re getting where they need to on time,” said Joe Frascello, Student Association director of mass transit. “The Huskie Bus transportation system is run entirely by students and paid for by $3.5 million in students fees, so we try to make sure students are getting what they are paying for.”

We’re funding our own transportation, but options like the Huskie Bus system are only partially giving us what we are paying for. These options do a great job in getting students around campus and DeKalb, but not much outside of that.

If you have an emergency and need to get out of DeKalb on a Tuesday without paying an arm and a leg for a cab, you can pretty much forget it. You’re stuck.

In these instances, using Zipcar, waiting until Friday for the Elburn shuttle to run or even catching a $25 cab to Elburn Metra may not be reasonable or economical.

The addition of a transportation option that allows students to leave whenever they need to, and not just on weekends, will eliminate such sticky situations for students.

“Demand, need and availability are always factors in making decisions affecting students,” said Brad Hoey, director of university marketing. “These factors apply to transportation, as well. Should the demand and need rise beyond what is currently offered then administration as well as Student Bus Services would certainly consider working toward fulfilling what is being asked of them.”

I understand that transportation is based upon what students state as a need, but creating a form of transportation for students to leave DeKalb if they need to during the week isn’t asking too much.

Our transportation should cover all of our needs, not just some.