The Erie County Community College is teaming up with the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) to make getting to class a lot easier.

What looks like a simple bus stop is actually part of a path to a better future.

For community college students, transportation can be a barrier, but having a bus line right on campus can make getting around a lot easier.

Sometimes just getting to class can be the toughest assignment of them all.

The new transit hub sits at the Erie Community College’s west campus, formally Villa Maria Academy, on West 8th Street.

Jeremy Peterson with EMTA says its state-of-the-art.

“What we’ve been doing, one of our initiatives of the last couple of years, has been taking out our old shelters and putting in newer and more modern shelters which are powered by solar, so there’s lights at night, its safer, and more aesthetically pleasing too, especially for a campus like EC3,” said Jeremy Peterson, EMTA.

Guy Goodman with Erie County Community College says mobility tends to be a barrier.

“One of the things that we here at EC3 are really committed to is removing as many barriers as possible, and transportation is one of them,” said Guy Goodman, Erie County Community College.

It gives students the chance to go to all the other campus locations.

“It gives our students the ability to move, not only from this campus here on our west campus, but also to our east campus, to our Corry campus, EC3 Corry, as well as up to our EC3 Summit location, which EMTA does serve all four of those locations,” said Goodman.

He told us he’s excited to see it open up next month.

“This one, with the weather coming in, hopefully it’s going to create some shelter. It does have the solar panels on top, so a little bit upgraded if you will. We’re excited to kind of test that out as well,” said Goodman.

The hub will go online on Dec. 17.

EMTA has an agreement with the college that its students can ride the bus line free as they are coming and going to campus.