FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESTRUCTURED ASA HYBRID TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

8 September, 2024 

Good evening, 

We are pleased to announce a significant change to our student transportation system, one that we believe will greatly enhance accessibility, efficiency, and the overall student experience at our college. After a thorough review of the Viking Lyft program, ASA, in collaboration with the Dean of Students Office and the International Students Peer Advisors Committee (ISPAC), has developed a new hybrid transportation program to address our community’s evolving needs.

The City of Sioux Falls, in partnership with Sioux Area Metro (SAM), launched an on-demand ride system citywide on August 12th and will introduce a faster, more efficient public transit service starting September 16th. Given this major transformation in the city and the unsustainable cost of the Lyft program, which ASA has struggled to support for the past four years, we are excited to transition to a hybrid transportation model this semester.

This hybrid system will integrate the SAM public transit network, including both the on-demand and fixed bus routes, with a reduced Lyft program. The SAM on-demand service provides corner-to-corner shared pick-up, while the fixed routes cover nine bus lines throughout the city. Both services are accessible via the SAM Transit app, available on Google Play and the App Store. Applications for this hybrid program will open on Wednesday, September 11th at 10am on Viking Central. ASA’s Technical Director, Blen Lemma will be later sending information about the application guidelines. 

With this new system, students will enjoy unlimited, completely free rides each month, compared to the previous six Lyft rides per month. However, as SAM service runs only until 9:15 PM and is unavailable on Sundays, the Lyft program will continue, offering eight rides per semester to cover off-hours needs. For more information, we invite you to an information session on Tuesday, September 10th, 2024, at 7 PM in Wagoner Hall Multipurpose Room. Please also look at ASA’s instagram for infographics on this new program. Fliers will also be at various locations across campus.  

We understand that shifting to a public transit system may reduce some level of convenience, with wait times averaging 20 minutes and the need to walk 2-3 minutes to reach a pick-up point. However, we believe this is a reasonable trade-off for more rides at no cost to students. Our administration will continuously evaluate the effectiveness of this program and work closely with transportation service providers to address any concerns throughout the year.

Thank you,

Prince Adhikari

ASA Vice President

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This Executive Action was authorized by President Annie Johnston 

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