Despite the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) and Public Safety’s (PSafe) drastic changes to the campus shuttle service, The Ride, last semester, many students are still voicing complaints.
Kara Ingraham ’11 created the Facebook group “The Ride: Something Needs to Change,” so that students would be able to express their concerns over The Ride’s shortcomings to the WSA.
“I know the WSA is working hard on this and it’s an ongoing process, but things don’t seem to be improving so far,” Ingraham wrote in an e-mail to The Argus. “The solutions seem more like a band-aid than actually solving the problem.”
Students are not alone in this view—one Ride driver who asked not to be quoted directly said that a predetermined stop is inconvenient for students and that it was not bothersome to drop students off at the location of their choice.
However, Ben Firke ’12, Chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee of the WSA, said that student representatives are always willing to respond to student feedback.
“Since implementation, not a single student has come to me or the WSA with a suggestion as to how to improve things,” he said. “We are more than happy to take those suggestions; improving The Ride is a work in progress. We have made significant strides so far, especially after ensuring a full-time third driver was hired to work Wednesday through Saturday.”
Students who did not use The Ride before the changes were implemented said that they still have no desire to use the service this semester.
“I was never really clear on how The Ride worked,” said Gabriela De Golia ’13. “And I’m still not so sure.”
“I’ve never taken the ride,” added Kassandra Leidemer ’13. “They never pick up when I call.”
Others said the changes have had a negative impact; the fixed route system is inconvenient and unsafe, they argue, and the only way to improve the service would be to allow vans to stop at whatever location the student is calling from.
“Fixed locations are okay once they are in safe, well-lit locations and students know exactly when The Ride will arrive, ” Ingraham said.
Both sides agree that it is up to students to come forward with suggestions for improving the service in order to meet all campus demands.
“It feels like nothing has changed from last year. And that’s really disheartening,” Ingraham said. “If we want real changes to The Ride, the solutions have to come from the students who have had the issues, not from the WSA.”
Firke believes such communication will lead to a solution that works for everyone.
“I’m confident that all of the kinks will be solved by the end of the year,” he said. “We have utilized many suggestions into our plans for the new, improved Ride, and look forward to continuing this discussion.”