From left, James Ott, Katy Mike Smaistrla, Louie the Triton, Adella Jones, Justin Simard and Alex Orywall represented UMSL at a kickoff event for the latest “College Transit Challenge” on Friday near the Cortex MetroLink station. (Photos by Steve Walentik)

Alex Orywall has been living on campus since he first enrolled at the University of Missouri–St. Louis in the fall of 2021.

SGA President Alex Orywall was one of several area college students who gave testimonials about the benefits of public transit during the “College Transit Challenge” kickoff event on Friday morning.

Without a car, he’s often relied on public transportation to get around, and UMSL’s two MetroLink stations have been doors for him to access so many different parts of the wider St. Louis region. He said he rides the light rail system a few times each month – catching a train downtown with friends to watch St. Louis CITY SC or the Cardinals, visiting Forest Park or heading to Brentwood to shop for groceries or other goods.

“It’s easy, it’s right on campus, and you can really go to so many places,” said Orywall, a native of Leverkusen, Germany, who is serving as president of UMSL’s Student Government Association. “I think it’s great.”

Orywall was one of several area college students to offer testimonials about the benefits of public transit on Friday morning during a kickoff for the latest “College Transit Challenge.” The event, hosted by Citizens for Modern Transit in conjunction with Metro Transit and the St. Clair County Transit District, was created to highlight the benefits of public transit and encourage consistent use among the region’s college students, faculty and staff.

Louie the Triton purchases a ticket to ride MetroLink as he prepares to take a ceremonial ride to Busch Stadium to kick off the “College Transit Challenge.”

“What a better way to inspire ridership on our system than through a little bit of competition,” Citizens for Modern Transit Executive Director Kim Cella said while standing in front of mascots from UMSL, Saint Louis University, St. Louis Community College, Southwestern Illinois College and Washington University in St. Louis during Friday morning’s kickoff, held outside the 4240 Building near the MetroLink station for the Cortex Innovation Community.

Students as well as faculty and staff members from each institution were tasked with trying to ride either MetroLink or MetroBus as often as they could during the day-long competition and to submit information about each trip via text to challenge organizers. The winner of the competition will be announced later this week.

“We strive every day to provide safe, reliable, sustainable and equitable transit options for living your lives, for getting around the region and for accessing what you need,” said Jessica Gershman, the assistant executive director for planning and system development at St. Louis Metro Transit at Bi-State Development. “We provide tens of thousands of trips every single day, system wide, and many, many of those are at the Metrolink stations and the bus routes that serve your campuses and your institutions. We’re really proud and grateful for our partnership with these awesome educational institutions.”

UMSL won the first College Transit Challenge, held in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic put the challenge on hiatus for several years, but it returned in March 2023, when Washington University took home the top prize.

UMSL representatives (from left) Adella Jones, Katy Mike Smaistrla, Justin Simard, Louie the Triton, James Ott and Alex Orywall took MetroLink from Cortex downtown and met up with Fredbird outside Busch Stadium during the “College Transit Challenge” kickoff event on Friday morning.

There was excitement among representatives from all the schools to be competing again as they boarded an east-bound MetroLink train Friday morning for a ceremonial ride to start the competition. They got off at the Busch Stadium stop, and the five school mascots, including Louie the Triton, walked up to street level and crossed 8th Street to meet up with Fredbird and take some photos outside the ballpark.

UMSL’s contingent included Orywall and fellow students James Ott and Justin Simard as well as Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coordinator Katy Mike Smaistrla and Chief of Staff Adella Jones, who serves on Citizens for Modern Transit’s Board of Directors.

At UMSL, enrolled students are eligible to purchase a pass that provides unlimited MetroLink and MetroBus access for only $25 per semester. UMSL has sold 432 of its allotted 500 students passes this semester. Metro passes are also available for faculty and staff for $65 per semester.