2008 Woodie Awards
New shuttle bus program in review
Editorial Board
Issue date: 7/17/08 Section: Opinions
Eastern is making the move from using H&H Shuttle Bus services to an in-house program beginning this August.
Two new buses were leased and the administration is finalizing the small details.
"I've fulfilled my end of the bargain," said Scott Harrison, the owner of H&H.
Harrison says that it came as a surprise when Eastern sent him a two sentence e-mail informing him of the decision to not accept bids after the six-year contract with H&H was completed.
The student shuttle bus committee meets regularly, but no one really knew what was going on with the contract; that is, the contract was about to legitimately expire, but because of the lack of dialogue between parties, a simple memo saying that the contract was not going to be renewed and that there would be no future bids seemed baffling. Whatever happened to fancy letterheads or phone calls?
But the fact remains that the contract was due to end, and more dialogue could have eased the termination of the contract.
Now that Eastern will be running the shuttle bus service, there are some things they should change.
More stops are needed. There are students that drive to class from places that are, in all honesty, much too close to be driving from.
Conditions can get pretty harsh in the winter, and thinking about the students who live in the gray area that lies between a long walk and a short drive should have access to the buses.
Many people complain about parking, and these same people should have to drive to campus each day.
Making a few convenient stops shouldn't be too hard once Art Park West and the Village Theatre move operations to Doudna, essentially eliminating two of the longest routes.
"I can't guarantee that there won't be a fee increase, but I can guarantee that we're already delaying that on behalf of the students," said Dan Nadler, vice president for Student Affairs.
Maybe Eastern's shuttle bus should consider a scalable approach based on not only a broad fee increase, but also offering ride passes for a fee for faculty or community members who need a ride. The rec center is supposedly just for students, but faculty can buy passes.
Either way, Eastern needs to take into account the fact that students would be willing to pay for shuttle bus service if it means spending less at the gas pump.
There are students who commute to Eastern from a considerable distance who rightfully and honestly need a parking space; but students who live a couple blocks from campus ought to have access to the shuttle, just like those who live on the square or University Village.
Nadler says that routes will not be figured out until the second week of August.
Keep in mind that this is just a pilot program.
"Nothing that we do is necessarily forever," Nadler said. "We're going to pilot this and if it works anywhere near as well as we think it's going to work, then it could turn into a long-term situation. But at this point, all I can commit to is two years."
So far, student input seems non-existent and here is some advice to keep in mind for when decisions are made in August.
Two new buses were leased and the administration is finalizing the small details.
"I've fulfilled my end of the bargain," said Scott Harrison, the owner of H&H.
Harrison says that it came as a surprise when Eastern sent him a two sentence e-mail informing him of the decision to not accept bids after the six-year contract with H&H was completed.
The student shuttle bus committee meets regularly, but no one really knew what was going on with the contract; that is, the contract was about to legitimately expire, but because of the lack of dialogue between parties, a simple memo saying that the contract was not going to be renewed and that there would be no future bids seemed baffling. Whatever happened to fancy letterheads or phone calls?
But the fact remains that the contract was due to end, and more dialogue could have eased the termination of the contract.
Now that Eastern will be running the shuttle bus service, there are some things they should change.
More stops are needed. There are students that drive to class from places that are, in all honesty, much too close to be driving from.
Conditions can get pretty harsh in the winter, and thinking about the students who live in the gray area that lies between a long walk and a short drive should have access to the buses.
Many people complain about parking, and these same people should have to drive to campus each day.
Making a few convenient stops shouldn't be too hard once Art Park West and the Village Theatre move operations to Doudna, essentially eliminating two of the longest routes.
"I can't guarantee that there won't be a fee increase, but I can guarantee that we're already delaying that on behalf of the students," said Dan Nadler, vice president for Student Affairs.
Maybe Eastern's shuttle bus should consider a scalable approach based on not only a broad fee increase, but also offering ride passes for a fee for faculty or community members who need a ride. The rec center is supposedly just for students, but faculty can buy passes.
Either way, Eastern needs to take into account the fact that students would be willing to pay for shuttle bus service if it means spending less at the gas pump.
There are students who commute to Eastern from a considerable distance who rightfully and honestly need a parking space; but students who live a couple blocks from campus ought to have access to the shuttle, just like those who live on the square or University Village.
Nadler says that routes will not be figured out until the second week of August.
Keep in mind that this is just a pilot program.
"Nothing that we do is necessarily forever," Nadler said. "We're going to pilot this and if it works anywhere near as well as we think it's going to work, then it could turn into a long-term situation. But at this point, all I can commit to is two years."
So far, student input seems non-existent and here is some advice to keep in mind for when decisions are made in August.
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