Do I need a car living in a USF apartment?

If you will be new to the USF area, transportation may be a big concern. While you are living in a USF apartment, you can get by without a car. Several options are available to you – bus routes, biking, walking, and carpooling. There are many apartments near USF, making living without your own car a very valid possibility. Additionally, there are plenty of nearby places for shopping, eating, and hanging out, so you won't be stuck only going to and from school each day.

Tampa has a nice public transportation system – HART. These buses go throughout the USF area, as well as surrounding areas, letting you get where you need to go without having your own car. HART has added a great new feature for students – you can ride most bus lines for free! Faculty and staff can ride for only a quarter. All you need is your valid USF ID card. Even if you don't live close to campus, the HART buses connect to the Bull Runner. HART also offers a really nice emergency ride home system – you can sign up if you ride the bus, carpool, bike, or walk to class at least twice per week, and they will give you up to 8 free taxi rides home from school each semester if you get sick or have a family emergency. More info for USF students about HART can be found here.

USF itself also offers a bus system – the Bull Runner. These buses run throughout campus, as well as a few designated areas off-campus. These are free to ride if you have a valid USF ID. These buses run every 15 minutes, which means your wait shouldn't ever be too long. Many apartments near USF are a part of this bus system, so you can easily go to and from school for free! The Bull Runner stops at the University Mall, near Busch Gardens, and other off-campus areas.

Living in a USF apartment, you won't be too far from everything that you will need. Because of this, biking and walking are viable options. Groceries and super-centers can be found at several places in the area. Many great study spots and hang-outs are found near USF.

Finally, carpooling is an option if you want to live in a USF apartment without having a car. You may have roommates with cars. If you have classes at similar times, you may be able to work out an agreement to carpool. You may have friends outside of your home that live nearby with whom you can share rides. These rides may be useful to have as back-ups during bad weather, if nothing else.

These are the opinions of writers and not the opinions of ApartmentsForBulls.com or any of our advertising partners.