4-U CAT Service Eliminates Transportation Barrier for Tri-County Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1/11/2002
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Beginning January 7, transportation will no longer be the barrier that prevents Melanie Harris from pursuing an education at Tri-County Technical College.

Free public transportation by the new 4-U Clemson Area Transit (CAT) Service has been expanded to include stops at four institutions of higher learning, Tri-County, Anderson College, Southern Wesleyan University and Clemson University, Monday - Friday for persons traveling to work or classes or for shopping. The bus route begins in Anderson, making several stops before arriving at Tri-County. Buses will make the loop all during the day and will stop anywhere along the route. For more information, call 1-880-440-2277 or 654-2287 or log on to www.catbus.com.

"This is a great way to start out the new year," said Al Babinicz, executive director of CAT, at a news conference kicking off the first day of service for the new free 4-U bus service, which connects Anderson, Pendleton, Clemson and Central. "It is six years to the day that CAT was born and since that day, hundreds of thousands of citizens, visitors, tourists and students have ridden the CAT bus for free. (765,000 passengers rode free last year alone.) The 4-U transit will expand this success and bring fare-free transit to Anderson County and its communities," he added.

"We have tremendous resources on this campus, but if someone can't get here, it adds up to zero for them," said Dr. Don C. Garrison, president of Tri-County Technical College. "Lack of transportation has been a key issue with our students. Until now there wasn't much that we could do to help them. That's no longer true, thanks to the visionary thinking and dogged determination of the many people who have worked long and hard to improve the quality of life through expanded public transportation in our area."

Now all CAT passengers can travel to Anderson and transfer to the Electric City buses fare free. Students, such as Harris, can present college IDs and can ride all of the buses fare-free effective January 7.

"It's my chance to go back to school," said Harris, who dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade and wants to work toward obtaining her GED. She had to drop out of classes earlier this year when her car needed repairs that she couldn't afford.

"I had to put school on hold," she said, "so returning to Tri-County is a dream come true. There's no turning back. I'm determined to get my GED and later my degree in Surgical Technology."

This kind of endeavor takes vision, innovation and commitment, the educational and government leaders attending the ribbon cutting agreed.

Anderson County Administrator Joey Preston credited County Council Member Gracie Floyd with the vision that brought this project to fruition. "We needed to offer students an opportunity to get to where the learning was," said Mrs. Floyd. "Many couldn't because of a lack of transportation. I'm so pleased and proud we rode the bus to Tri-County today."

"It's a win-win situation for everyone," said Dr. Bea Thompson, a member of the Anderson City Council. "Everybody can prosper."

"I'm happy to be part of a team who hit a home run today," said Pendleton Mayor Carol Burdette. "Both students and the elderly will benefit greatly from this venture."

Valerie Ramsey, of Central, an accountant/fiscal analyst for the Dean's Office of the College of Health, Education and Human Development at Clemson University, is a Tri-County graduate who took advantage of the bus service that was available through Manpower Training in the 1970's. "I'm a product of free transportation and tuition," said Ramsey. "Transportation is a great thing, but I'm looking for transformation. We will work to help them to see that College is available for them."

"People with potential now have the resources to make their potential grow," said Michael Thompson, assistant to the Anderson County administrator. "We want to contribute to the success of society. It's not about buses; it's about changing people's lives."
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