Safe Ride to Woodside is under way and last week continued to pick up students on campus to transport them to Woodside Bar and Grill aboard the Party Bus that features flashing multi-colored lights, soft seats and loud popular music.
Last Thursday, the bus started running at 9:45 p.m. with approximately 12 students taking the first ride. The time was slightly later than the previous week.
Dave Ream, the bus driver, collected $5 without checking identification and hand each person a white ticket color.
He said students could receive a ride back to campus, free of charge, as long as the ride back coincides with the ticket.
Dave said that the riders could stay later if they wanted to, but that a later ride would cost an additional $5.
The dolled-up girls on the bus were dancing while seated, singing and screaming over the blaring music.
The ride to Woodside took only 15 minutes on Beadford Street to Belmont Street through Johnstown neighborhoods.
When you entered the bar you saw your typical sports bar with music, but, the later the night went, the area in front of the DJ’s set up was sufficient for some.
Along with the DJ-led tunes, TVs were mounted on the bar’s walls, showing sporting events and also a music video accompanying the DJ’s song.
The light dimmed throughout the night as a male and female bartender made their way around the horseshoe shaped bar.
Before gaining access to the bar, a bouncer scrutinized patrons closely and swiped their licenses.
When the first bus arrived, the bar was not crowded, but, with each additional bus every half hour the crowd grew.
A total of 21 students entered from the second bus and the third bus increased the occupancy by 29 more.
It quickly turned from empty seats at the bar, to three to four people deep.
Junior Qaseem Chaudhry arrived on the second bus and took advantage of the outdoor patio area to cool off from the crowd inside.
“The Woodside Bus is great. Cuts down on drunk driving and other schools like Penn State have buses like this, and with the price of $5, it’s basically free,” Chaudhry said.
The bar, mostly full of college students still had its fair share of the older crowd and military personnel.
An area in front of the DJ’s set up was sufficient for dancers as the night went on and breaths became thick with alcohol.
Once students made it back to the bus for the trip home, heads swayed until the music began again and some girls wiggled in their seats again.
Ream passed out garbage bags, just in case, and some slept right through the trip altogether.
Once the bus stopped students stumbled out and shakily walked to their campus housing.
