I Don't Ride the Bus!

WHAT IF I WILL NEVER USE THE BUS OR PARA-TRANSIT SERVICES WHILE I AM A STUDENT AT MADISON COLLEGE?

Even though you may not be a bus-rider, you will benefit from less congestion of vehicles & pedestrians in MadisonCollege parking lots & the city parking structures.  Likewise, you will experience a reduction of traffic stresses within the City of Madison & communities served by Metro Transit.  Just imagine vying for limited parking spaces with thousands of more students!  The money you pay into the system will support the continuance of the Bus & Para-Transit Program. 

Students living outside of Madison & the surrounding communities served by Metro Transit are strongly encouraged to seek money-saving commuter options through RideShare Etc.  RideShare operates in Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Marquette, Richland, Rock & Sauk counties in Wisconsin. Commuters utilizing RideShare report saving more than $1,500/year!  rideshareetc.org

I LIVE TOO FAR AWAY FROM MADISON COLLEGE TO EVER RIDE A METRO TRANSIT BUS, SO WHY WOULD I HAVE A BUS PASS?

Utilizing a bus pass is not simply about coming to campus.  Bus passes are good for unlimited rides whenever & wherever the buses are rolling.  Some students save time, money, traffic & parking hassles by using the buses in the following ways:

1. Students drive from rural communities to any of the 4 Park & Ride lots, or any of the 5 Metro Transit Transfer Points inMadison or Middleton, or to a bus route in Fitchburg, Monona or Verona, etc., park for FREE & hop-a-bus for any of the Madison-based Madison College campuses.
2. Students taking classes at Madison College Downtown save a considerable amount of parking money by parking at Truax or elsewhere in the city & hopping the bus to the Downtown Campus.  (Parking in the State Street Capitol Ramp near Madison College Downtown costs $1 per hour.  A student who spends an average of 6 hrs. / weekday on-campus at Downtown, can spend over $500 / semester in parking fees.)
3. Students who commute by bike utilize the “rack-n-roll system” on city buses in inclement weather or to save time in-a-pinch.
4. Students in health-related academic programs take buses to field observations, practicums & internships at any of the 4 hospitals or the more than 3 dozen health clinics, plus health clubs located on Metro Transit bus routes.
5. Madison College students also taking classes at Edgewood College, Globe University, Herzig University, Lakeland College or the University of Wisconsin – Madison take buses back-&-forth between their campuses.
6. Students volunteering or tutoring take buses from MadisonCollege to any of the nearly 50 public schools on Metro Transit bus routes.
7. Students use the bus to go shopping, go to work, church, drop children at the day-care…even for a night-out, rather than to drink-&-drive.

IS THERE ANYWAY FOR A MADISON COLLEGE STUDENT TO GET HIS OR HER MONEY REFUNDED IF HE OR SHE DOESN’T WANT A BUS PASS?

The money paid toward the Bus & Para-Transit Program at Madison College is part of the supplemental fees paid by all degree-credit students at Madison-based campuses.  Refunds are granted only as follows:

1. If a student drops ALL of his/her degree-credit courses BEFORE classes begin for the semester, he/she will receive a 100% refund of the $25 transportation fee.
2. If a student drops ALL of his/her degree-credit courses during the first 2 weeks of classes, he/she will receive a 75% refund of the $25 fee.
3. Starting with the third week of classes, no refund of the transportation fee is possible.

An appeal process is available at: Limited Refund Request.