Regional Transit System buses will be getting a makeover next fall, but UF students won't be able to tell just by looking.
The buses will run on biodiesel fuel, which UF will help fund by increasing students' Transportation Access Fee by 61 cents to ,6.10 per credit hour, Student Body Treasurer E.J. Walicki said.
Walicki said the fee, which is paid on top of tuition by UF students, will partially cover costs for converting the buses to run on biodiesel fuel.
About 10 cents out of the ,6.10 will provide ,150,000 to power the fuel switch, Walicki said.
RTS will cover the rest of the costs for converting the buses, he said. The fee will be implemented in the fall for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Walicki said converting the buses to run on biodiesel would increase fuel efficiency and decrease air pollution from carbon emissions.
Walicki said the switch hadn't been made earlier because UF didn't have sufficient funds. UF will pay for startup costs of heavily used buses, which accounts for about 55 buses, he said.
"The fact that buses are more environmentally friendly will hopefully get a lot more people interested in riding the bus system," Walicki said.
