Free rides end for OSU alums in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A new system on Columbus public buses will end the free ride for Ohio State University alumni.

Graduates have been able to flash their old student IDs and not pay to board Central Ohio Transit Authority buses because drivers often haven’t had time to check the expiration dates.

But The Columbus Dispatch reports there will be none of that freeloading with new technology that will require a BuckID to be swiped at the fare box. The new system is expected to be in place by Jan. 1.

Transit agency spokeswoman Beth Berkemer says the upgrade was not prompted by former students beating the fare. She calls the lost revenue “a minute amount.”

Berkemer says information collected from card-swiping helps the agency monitor demand for its services.