Efforts made to avoid rising gas pricesGas prices are absurd.

For most vehicles, it can take upwards of $50 to get a full tank.

And costs don’t show any signs of dropping in the near future. Hurricane Katrina’s destruction caused the most recent spike, and prices had already been steadily increasing for months.

Since gas is becoming so expensive, it only makes sense to start looking for other transportation options.

Although TCU isn’t exactly situated in the heart of the greatest public transportation system in the country, there are still plenty of options for travel that exclude driving a vehicle.

The university has worked out a deal for students to ride for free on several transportation systems around the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Now, TCU students can show their ID cards to ride around Fort Worth on the T bus system, around the Metroplex on the Trinity Railway Express or around Dallas on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system.

This is a great opportunity to ride around one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country for free during one of the worst gas crises in history, and most students are still wasting their money on more gas to drive around on their own.

Admittedly, many of us at the Skiff are guilty of ignoring this chance as well.

It takes time to ride from here to Dallas, with all the bus and train changes one might have to make. Students don’t always have an extra hour to include in their trips over to Deep Ellum or the West End.

Public transportation doesn’t always run as late as the clubs and bars are open, and could potentially leave many stranded with no way to get back home. So it’s understandable that public transportation isn’t always the best option.

But, if you have the time, it’s at least worth a trial run. After all, it won’t cost a dime.

Associate Editor Jarod Daily for the Editorial Board.