Get to know the Cy-Ride routes ahead of time. You will most likely be riding Orange and a few Grays. Their are two kinds of Oranges, the most frequent are the Circulators that run between the commuter lots, and campus. The other kind of Orange, are the Vet-Med buses that run every 20 minutes or so. They say Vet-Med in the Upper LED Marquee sign. PAY ATTENTION when you get on these, so that you GET OFF at the Linden stop when you are returning from class. Otherwise you will end up clear out at VET-MED, and will waste close to 40 mins of your valuable video-game/study time. The Grays run every hour.
You will want to leave early for your classes. If you try to leave 15 mins early, you will encounter 15000 other freshmen and transfers student who THOUGHT that was enough time to catch a space on an Orange bus. The buses are CROWDED 15 - 20 mins before the next class. Try a half hour early, that should be enough time.
When you do board the bus, MOVE as far to the rear of the bus as possible to make room for others. If you want off the bus within a few stops, sit/stand near the rear doors, to facilitate existing the bus.
The Circulators, which are the #21 Cardinals, the #22 Golds, the #23 Oranges, and the #24 Silvers, ARE ALL FREE for everyone to ride, AND YOU ***DON'T*** have to show your ID to get on these buses.
To ride the fixed routes which are the #1 Reds (this includes 1A AND 1B), the #2 Greens, the #3 Blues, the #4 Grays (when it is off University property and ON city streets), #5 Yellows, #6 Browns, #7 Purples, #8 Aquas, and #10 Pinks you must show the driver your ISU card, and then you can ride.
If you have classes on the West Side of campus, you can get back to MWL via the #1 Red route (which drops on the south side of Lincolnway), or the #3 Blue which will drop you just south of Lincolnway on Beach Ave.
Also, around September time Cyride is expecting two new articulated buses, which may hold up to 100 or 120 passengers, PREPARE FOR THE ARTICULATED MADNESS!!!!
