By Kalyn Story | Staff Writer
Baylor Parking Services opened the Ferrell Center Lot to all students with or without a parking permit this semester. In the fall semester, about 200 students purchased Ferrell Center Parking Passes for $50, said Matt Penney, director of parking and transportation services.
Penney said he hopes students will take advantage of the 23,000 parking spaces in the Ferrell Lot.
“By opening the Ferrell Center Lot, our goal is to make parking for students less of a hassle,” Penney said. “Even if a student goes to campus, is having trouble finding parking, they can just come back to the Ferrell Center and park immediately.”
An express bus service runs from the Ferrell Center Lot to campus. It runs every 10 minutes and stops at Baylor Sciences Building, Foster Campus for Business and Innovation and Glennis McCrary Music Building. The bus runs from 7:25 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Penney said Parking Services is looking for feedback from students on where they would like the bus to stop and how often they would like the bus to run. He said Parking Services is considering doing a trial run on an eight minute schedule to speed up the bus route.
After 5 p.m., students without a permit may park on campus in any non-reserved parking spaces for students, faculty/staff and visitors, according to the Baylor Parking Services website.
Yazoo City, Miss., sophomore Ariel White bought a Ferrell Center parking pass last semester and said it has been convenient and efficient.
“There really isn’t much they could do to make me pay to park on campus again,” White said. “The bus runs often and takes me right where I need to go most of the time. I definitely don’t miss driving around campus for several minutes looking for parking.”
Students who paid for the Ferrell Center parking pass last semester were also given three vouchers to park in faculty and staff spaces on campus. Students who purchased the pass last semester and still have vouchers may use them this semester, Penney said.
“I wish I could get half of my money back since I paid for a pass for the year but apparently only needed it for a semester because it’s free for everyone now,” White said. “But it’ll be nice to not have to pay for a pass next year.”
