For many Florida Atlantic University students, the campus shuttle is a convenient way to get around. But for others who never use it, the mandatory $76.90 Transportation Access Fee (TAF) feels like an unnecessary expense — one they can’t opt out of.

The University Press asked 56 students on the Breezeway in February about the fee, and 43 admitted they had no idea it existed. Since the shuttle service was introduced in 2017, the fee has not changed.

“I have never utilized the shuttle service, as I drive my car to school,” said Henna Brown, a multimedia major and FAU senior. “Why do I have to pay for something I never use? I would rather opt out of paying the fee if I had known about it.”

Many students echoed Brown’s frustration. Justin Porter, a sophomore studying international business, was also unaware of the charge.

“I wasn’t aware of the fee until now,” said Porter. “Since I don’t use the shuttle, I would rather not pay for it.”
Santosh Reddy, an international graduate student from India studying computer science, was similarly caught off guard.

“I was never informed of such a fee at the time of my tuition payment. I would have at least asked what TAF meant,” said Reddy.

When asked whether students who don’t use the service could opt out of the fee, Melonie Carmichael, Associate Director of Parking Operations at FAU, wrote, “Students are unable to opt out of this fee,” in a Jan. 22 email to the University Press. She further explained that FAU has never considered removing it.

“This fee was initiated to support the university’s transportation infrastructure and to increase student access to transportation services,” she said, citing the Board of Governors Active Regulations — 7.003 Fees, Fines and Penalties — (12) Transportation Access Fee in the email.

Phil Philipe, a shuttle bus driver at FAU said the shuttles run Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Students must present their Owl Card and Z number before boarding.

Some students, like Brandon Coyte, a freshman majoring in philosophy only learned about the fee after they started using the shuttle service.

“I always thought the shuttles were free to use. It was only after I started talking to people on the shuttle, I realized I had already paid for the shuttle at the time of my tuition payment,” Coyte said.

However, not all students are opposed to the fee. Regular shuttle users say the service is worth the cost. Emily Brennan, a junior majoring in marketing, was aware of the charge and didn’t mind it. She uses the shuttle service regularly for her commute from the Jupiter campus.

“At first, I was not aware of the fee. But I did not mind paying for it once I found out about it,” Brennan said. Unlike other students she does not use the shuttle to commute to classes but rather because of the shuttle’s drop-off point’s proximity to her home.

Celine Barnes, a marine biology major, believes the cost is justified. Barnes is among many other students who take the shuttle regularly for their classes.

“Public transport would cost me way more,” she said, adding that she uses the shuttle service to commute to the Jupiter campus. “$76 for a reliable service to get me to my classes is good enough for me.”
Philipe said that the shuttles mostly run full.

Carmichael said that ridership numbers for the shuttle service were unavailable because the data is being transitioned to an electronic counting system. She also confirmed that the fee does not vary based on the distance traveled.

The shuttle buses are equipped with Wi-Fi, and students can use the ETA SPOT App to track the shuttle’s location in real time.

“FAU shuttles have also evolved to utilize electric shuttles/transit vans to better serve our students, especially with the inter-campus shuttle to Jupiter.”, Carmichael wrote. The electric shuttle service, also called Owl Express, was started as a part of the Go Green Initiative by FAU’s transportation services and provides connectivity only within the Boca campus.

Mohit Vasishta is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email mayalasoma2025@fau.edu.