PSU Changes Shuttle Schedule

The shuttle is a common and convenient form of transportation on campus, but two buses running 2 different routes led to student confusion and frustration. In response, Physical Plant has created a new and improved shuttle system. In the new system, on trial for the last three weeks of the semester, there will be two shuttles on the same route 10 minutes apart with a total route time of 20 minutes. This is quite different from the past system, with two buses running different routes, one for north campus, one for south. The change was brought on by many student comments, according to Robert Giroux. “There were questions about where the buses go, exactly,” Giroux said. He also mentioned the inconvenience of having to take two buses to get from Langdon Woods to Lamson Library and back. It was also a concern that students did not have a good idea when exactly the buses were coming, as the schedule was a bit vague. Now, the shuttle schedule can be found easily online at the Physical Plant website with a click of the mouse, and though the times may vary within a couple of minutes, it will cut down on the time students wait at the bus stop. The shuttle also takes students directly from the library to Langdon Woods now. There is also a bus that runs before 7:30 a.m to help students who want to grab breakfast before class. The hope is that all the changes made will help students get to where they need to go. Transportation Manager Jim Vossberg said “the changes were made as a direct result of the feedback from the student body.” There are no more issues with which bus goes where, as students can hop on one bus and get anywhere they need to go, one of the best changes that Giroux and Vossberg believe they could have made. “No more confusion,” Giroux said, “Just hop on the bus and ride.” Other changes that have been made to the bus routes are in regards to safety. The new route eliminates one large hill and a dangerous turn, though it does still require the buses to take the highway and turn right into the temporary 704 parking lot. The buses cannot take certain left turns in town “because of state and federal laws,” Giroux said. However, the trip on the highway should no longer be necessary after the temporary lot goes away in the spring. The new route makes it very simple for the temp lot to be removed. So far, the student response has been positive. “I think it could be really good,” Senior Heather Hastings said. “Of all the students I’ve talked to, 98 out of 100 of them have had a good response to the change,” Giroux said. “You can’t please everyone, but we’re going to do the best we can to improve.”