WSA President Emily Polak ’05 thought it would be a fun idea to go for a ride on the RIDE, Wesleyan’s re-designed shuttle service that started at the beginning of this semester. She wanted to experience the RIDE firsthand and to observe how recent changes to the system have panned out.
Seven days a week from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., two Wesleyan RIDE vans drive around campus streets making stops at various locations designated by numbered posts.
Polak and WSA Coordinator Ali Gomer ’05 went out on Wednesday night at approximately 9:30 p.m. and caught a RIDE at stop number 5 at the corner of Fountain and Cross Street. Inside the van, they were greeted by WSA Chair of Student Affairs Elaine Garven.
A friendly man wearing a cap was the shuttle driver. His name was Ron and as soon as they hopped in, his cell phone rang. It was Megan Wise ’05 on the other end, calling to be picked up from an apartment at In-town and dropped off at a house on Home Avenue. The In-town apartments are at stop #7, so Ron first passed by the Vine Street parking lot (stop #6) to see if anyone was waiting there to catch a ride. No one was.
Ron drives the “red line” route four nights a week and receives calls directly from those who dial 685-2345 for a ride. He takes calls and also dispatches calls to the driver of the “blue line” route, which makes stops on the side of campus nearer to Washington Street. Ron said that the RIDE shuttle gets busiest in the cold weather and on weekend nights. When asked if students were polite, he said that generally they are, with some exceptions.
“The more courteous they are, the nicer I am,” Ron said.
Since Polak, Gomer and Garven had no particular destination, they thanked Ron for driving them and got off at the Science Tower “Transfer Station” to catch a ride from the other “blue line” RIDE van. Both vans convene at the “Transfer Station” approximately every 15 to 20 minutes.
When the WSA members got their second ride on the “blue line” van, they soon became acquainted their humorous 72 year old driver, Irv, who told Henny Youngman jokes.
“It’s a couple’s tenth wedding anniversary and the wife says to her husband, ‘Take me to a place I’ve never been’ and the husband says, ‘How about we go to the kitchen.’”
In the front seat of the van was Sam DuPont ’06, who was a getting a ride back home to her house on Washington Street having spent several hours at the PAC Lab.
“Sometimes I take the RIDE because I live pretty far from the library and it’s getting really cold out now,” DuPont said.
Irv asked DuPont if she was connected to the DuPont chemical company family fortune, which he said in his day was a very desirable stock. DuPont said she was not.
After Irv delivered Sam to her house, he shared personal stories with the inquisitive WSA bunch. Irv spoke about his children and his beloved grandchildren as well as his deceased mother. According to Irv, who has worked as a Wesleyan shuttle driver for eight years, when he is not driving he watches the stock market, reads and baby-sits his two grandsons.
“I enjoyed going on the RIDE,” Gomer said. “I was glad to hear that most students are courteous to the drivers, but I think we realized that not all the posts have blue-light phones and maps of the RIDE route, and they should.”
If it’s cold out or if the distance is far, or if you’re just in the mood, take the RIDE. It can really be a lot of fun.
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