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Volume CXXXIII, Number 18 |
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Student gov't targets student shuttle reform
FE VIVAS
STAFF WRITER
The Student Government has recognized several problems with
the College shuttle system and is planning to improve the student shuttle
service.
Tejus Ajmera '04, treasurer of the Executive Board, proposed
changes that will produce a "more cost effective and efficient method
of getting students around and outside campus." Jason Hafler '04,
another Executive Board member, emphasized the need for efficiency in
the revamped shuttle system, citing that students should be able to take
advantage of this Student Government-funded service without unnecessarily
high expenditures for the government.
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| Bowdoin's shuttle system may undergo vast changes as student government struggles to repair the ailing system. (Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient) |
The current College shuttle system is composed of two shuttle
services: the convenience shuttle and the regional shuttle. The convenience
shuttle travels along the campus on Friday and Saturday nights to transport
partygoers to and from any two locations on campus. The regional shuttle
operates on Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoon to allow students to
venture, "outside of the Bowdoin bubble," as Hafler puts it.
The Executive Board has identified several aspects of the
current shuttle system that could use improvement. Ajmera and Hafler both
agreed that the greatest area of contention dealing with the convenience
shuttle is the inability of students to communicate with the shuttle drivers
directly. Students must rely on good timing in order to catch the shuttles
that generally do not make regular loops around the campus on weekend
nights.
Hafler mentioned that ideally the system should have more
than one vehicle making regular loops and that some sort of communication
system should be in place so that students can call the shuttles to request
rides across campus. This proposal is at the time financially unfeasible
for the Student Government. Instead the government is considering the
possibility of subsidizing the shuttle system by bringing Brunswick Taxi
into the picture.
Board members are currently discussing the possibilities with Dale King
of Brunswick Taxi to have approximately six taxis on call on Friday and
Saturday nights around campus.
This proposed shuttle system would utilize the communication
systems of the taxi service and would ultimately lead to greater reliability
for student riders. The government is speculating whether there will be
a charge for students using this fee of about $1 and are considering establishing
a trial period towards the end of the current semester. This period, in
which Brunswick Taxi will be taking on the job of campus transportation,
will provide the Executive Board with information on "usage and how
the system will work as well as to acquaint students with the new shuttle
system," Tejus Ajmera explained.
The greatest complaint dealing with the regional shuttle,
which provides round trips for students to Cook's Corner, Freeport, and
Portland, is that it is an expensive service for the Student Government
to fund independently.
"We see the regional shuttle as a valuable service, but it is extremely
expensive. We are hoping that the College administration will step up
and at least offer the government assistance in providing this service
for the student body," Hafler said.
The Student Government, obliged to fulfill many responsibilities as the governing assembly of the student body, has found great difficulty in funding the costly shuttle service.