The system offers students swipe access to a new loop from various stops on the Huntington campus to the Visual Arts Center downtown and Kroger on Fifth Avenue.
Marshall President Jerome A. Gilbert said the project was special, in part because it has been student-led from the beginning.
“We are very fortunate that our students are active participants in change and improvement at the university, and this is a great example of those students taking charge,” Gilbert said. “This is truly a system by and for the sons and daughters of Marshall University.”
In spring 2015, then-Student Body Vice President Isabelle Rogner set the wheels in motion to arrange a new bus route to best accommodate students. The following March, the student body voted 86 percent in favor of the $16-per-student, per-semester fee for the system. Graphic design student Lindsey Cheek designed the wrap, and it was student Omar Salem who first came up with “The Green Machine,” which received the most votes on a Twitter poll to students and became the official name of the bus.
“There a few things that remain the same no matter what you study at Marshall: the importance of hard work, the value of helping others, and the idea that a goal or a dream can be achieved, no matter how big, even the size of a bus,” said Matt Jarvis, student body president.
Rogner, an alumna who now works for Intuit in Mountain View, California, visited the campus for the presentation. She noted that the new stops were advantageous to the university and Huntington communities alike, allowing students a way downtown and beyond, and allowing residents easier access to university events.
“Whether students realize it or not, through this bus, we have helped with the goal of making Marshall University and the City of Huntington one ecosystem,” Rogner said. “Our city and its people can now truly become one herd.”
“This is great for Marshall University,” said Steve Williams, mayor of Huntington. “This is incredible for the City of Huntington.”
TTA CEO Paul Davis said the newly created partnership with Marshall will mean more independence for students, not only for classes, but for access to health care, shopping and more.
“Many students, like my sons who both attended Marshall, have part-time jobs,” Davis said. “This creates unbelievable opportunities for students to get part-time employment in the entire Tri-State area. They will be able to not only ride this bus, swipe their cards and essentially ride for free, but the entire system is available now to Marshall.”
The bus runs from 7:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 7:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday into Saturday and noon to 3 a.m. Saturday into Sunday. Several major stops are on campus, with major off-campus sites including the Visual Arts Center, Pullman Square, and Kroger on Fifth Avenue. Swipe service to the regional TTA line, which locally includes Walmart and Cabell Huntington Hospital, where Marshall’s Student Health services are located, is available to all students with a valid Marshall ID.
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Photos: (Above) Izzy Rogner stands in front of Marshall’s newly branded bus, The Green Machine. (Middle) Marshall graphic design student Lindsey Cheek designed the wrap for the Marshall bus, The Green Machine. (Below) Marshall’s president, TTA’s CEO, Huntington’s mayor and Izzy Rogner join Marshall students to present The Green Machine.