The Miami Metro Bus service could soon extend its service to more than just Miami University students.

A round-trip bus service currently offers student transportation between the Oxford campus and the Hamilton campus daily during the academic year, according to Steve Chartrand, an Access Miami bus driver.

Until recently, the Miami Metro bus has only been offered to students, faculty and staff.

According to Carla Lakatos, executive director of the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA), Butler County Commissioner Gregory Jolivette made a suggestion to modify the current system at a recent commissioners meeting. 

Butler County is now in the process of talking to Miami about allowing residents to use the current shuttle that runs to and from these two campuses, Lakatos said.

The city of Hamilton is currently looking for a more affordable service for their residents, and one method is to use Miami Metro services.

As of right now, Hamilton residents are charged $30 for a one-way ticket to Oxford if they choose to take BCRTA's shuttle. The BCRTA is hoping to open up a partnership with the Miami Metro service to make the cost more reasonable, Lakatos said.

"Though the idea is only preliminary, we are going to further explore it," Lakatos said. "We would really like to do this and hope to have a discussion in the near future to make this suggestion probable."

While the initial proposition was briefly mentioned during course of the commissioners meeting, no groundwork has been set yet and funding costs have yet to be discussed. If this proposal is executed, Hamilton residents would be expected to pay a fare if they chose to travel, since Miami students pay for the service through tuition fees, Lakatos said.

Some Miami University students who utilize the service said safety is the No. 1 concern if the commissioners and the BCRTA choose to follow through with the suggestion.

"The busing between the Miami and Hamilton campuses is a very convenient system for all of us," Miami senior Laura Neufarth said. "It is a tough call whether or not I would feel comfortable traveling back and forth with local residents. But for safety purposes, I do not feel as if it is the right move."

First-year Margaret Bingham said she thinks officials should follow through with the idea to benefit all community members.

"I feel that there is nothing wrong with this idea," Bingham said. "The buses are essential to many students and why not offer this opportunity to everyone that we can?"