Students looking for weekend rides to city hotspots will soon have another alternative. The… Students looking for weekend rides to city hotspots will soon have another alternative. The UltraViolet Loop bus, which had several demonstration runs in 2000 and 2001, will return Nov. 1 to help nightlife seekers on their way.

The UV Loop will run on Friday and Saturday nights, transporting riders between Downtown, Station Square, the South Side, Oakland, Shadyside, East Liberty, Garfield, Bloomfield and the Strip District. The first run will start the counterclockwise loop Downtown at 7 p.m. and make last runs for late-night partiers between 3 and 4 a.m. Buses run every 15 minutes.

For $3, riders can purchase all-night passes. Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University ID carriers, as well as Port Authority pass holders, ride for free.

According to an article in the Oct. 23 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the UV Loop is intended to serve several purposes, including providing rides for night workers and students without cars and an alternative to finding and paying for parking. The UV Loop is also hoped to stimulate city business by bringing more people in and to protect the city by decreasing drunk driving.

According to UltraViolet Loop Advisory Board spokeswoman Jen Fox, as quoted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the loop isn’t intended to be a “party bus,” though a survey showed 60 percent of the loop’s riders during its trial runs were under 30. According to Fox, “We had no serious behavior problems in the past.”

The return of the UV Loop is an excellent opportunity for students. It runs more frequently and later than many of its PAT counterparts. Subsequently, the UV Loop also makes for safer Friday and Saturday nights. Students will no longer have to worry about finding a ride home after last call, nor will they have to worry about how long they will have to wait for a bus.

Students will also no longer have to worry about things such as having to take two buses to get home. The loop connects more city neighborhoods that a regular PAT bus, thus making the city more accessible. For example, a Pitt student living in Oakland has to take two PAT buses to get to Station Square. With the UV Loop, students can hop on one bus.

Additionally, the UV Loop offers students and city dwellers better access to cultural opportunities. Pittsburgh is often among the top-ranked cities in the nation for cultural events and the UV Loop offers cheap or free transportation to evening events. Students won’t have to be concerned about rides or finding and paying for parking.

The UV Loop’s advisory board is to be commended for bringing the loop back and for its excellent planning. The buses run frequently, sufficiently late and connect all of Pittsburgh’s vital nightspots.