As temperatures continue to drop, the number of NIU students taking the bus to class continues to rise.

“Our passenger counts keep going up every year,” said Huskie Line general manager Charles Battista.

According to an NIU campus guide released by Campus Parking Services, walking across campus can be time consuming. A trip from Stevenson Towers to the Campus Life Building takes the average person 15 minutes, while a walk from Lincoln Hall to Barsema Hall can take over 20 minutes.

Riding the bus is a daily routine, said Don Radtke, a junior pre-pharmacy major.

“It’s overcrowded, especially during finals week, but I’ll live with it,” he said.

Radtke said the buses are especially helpful since he lives a mile from campus.

The Huskie Line buses transported over 2.4 million people across DeKalb in 2003, Battista said. In addition to transporting students around campus, the buses also make trips to more distant locations including Jewel-Osco, 1320 Sycamore Road; and Wal-Mart, 2300 Sycamore Road.

The service was founded in 1971 and is funded entirely by student fees and fare revenues, according to the Huskie Line Web site.

There are 19 buses currently in service at NIU, Battista said. A spare bus is kept on reserve in case of emergency. The most heavily traveled routes are the Circle Left and Circle Right routes with three buses each, followed by Routes 5 and 3, which are run by two. Route 5 covers Hillcrest Drive, Greenbrier Road and Varsity Boulevard. The main stops along Route 3 are Russell Road, Greek Row, and Normal Road.

Many campus buildings are relatively close to the residence halls. However, while the majority of students who ride the buses live in the residence halls, the routes are especially helpful in getting to locations such as Barsema Hall and the Convocation Center, said John Acardo, the Student Association chief of staff.

Students worried that the recent cold may lead to a bus shortage or shutdown have little to fear this winter season.

“We haven’t had that kind of weather in years,” Battista said.

While weather may not stop the buses entirely, students themselves often can bring the routes to a crawl.

“A lot of students drop their friends off at classes, which hinders the bus lines,” Acardo said. The biggest challenge facing the Huskie Line is the congestion around Lucinda Avenue and Annie Glidden Road, close to heavily trafficked buildings such as DuSable and Reavis halls, Acardo said.

The Huskie Line is working on solutions to improve efficiency along those routes, Acardo said.