The University is set to launch a shuttle service between campus and New Haven, with operations to begin during the second week of February. After years of $60 taxi rides, crammed carpooling, and student requests for an official service, the shuttle is a welcome addition to transportation services.
The program was put into motion largely by Estrella Lopez ’07, chair of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) Coordinating Committee and member of the Executive Committee, along with fellow WSA member Zach Blau ’09.
“We decided on New Haven because from New Haven you can get anywhere you need to go,” Lopez said. “We think it’s the most cost-effective way of appealing to the greatest number of people.”
The pilot program for the shuttle will charge $8.50 each way and will make one run to and from New Haven each weekend. Transportation Services and Public Safety will provide their vans and absorb any costs not recovered through sales. Specific departure and arrival times have yet to be determined, though Lopez mentioned Friday evenings were likely for departure.
“We’re thinking the shuttle will leave Wesleyan on Friday and return on Sunday,” she said.
The WSA will also collaborate with Transportation Services and Public Safety to provide vans and assist in driver selection and vehicle maintenance.
Both Lopez and Blau emphasized that the need for such a shuttle is not new. According to Blau, students and members of the WSA have been requesting one for years.
“While students and WSA reps have been desirous of a shuttle for some time, it’s only in the last year or so serious work has been done on it,” Blau said. “When Zach Kolodin ran for WSA President he made it part of his platform, which inspired members to confront the issue.”
Lopez corroborated Blau’s statements, echoing his claim that the new shuttle is a long-delayed addition to the University’s student services.
“The entire time I’ve been at Wesleyan, transportation to and from campus has been a nightmare for students without cars, and students have always been asking for a shuttle,” she said. “In fact, in the past, former presidents and vice presidents of the University have made campaign promises regarding the shuttles and failed to deliver. Last year, Zach and I worked on the shuttle initiative with the Independent Projects Committee, including doing a survey of the student body to determine how much demand there was for a shuttle and contacting peer institutions to find out what their situation was regarding shuttles. Most of them, we discovered, have had shuttles running for years.”
Lopez hopes that the shuttle will succeed, though she admitted that its success depends on student use.
“Obviously if this pilot program is not used sufficiently to cover most of the costs it will have to be modified, and if there isn’t demand, it will have to be dropped,” she said.
As it stands, despite all the support for a shuttle, it is unclear exactly who would utilize the service and how successful it will be.
“I would probably use the new shuttle,” said Jennifer Spiller ’08, who does not have a vehicle on campus. “But it would most likely be used by freshmen and sophomores who are less likely to have friends with cars. It’s really hard to not have a way to get off campus, and the bus service is not convenient.”
Constance Smith ’08 questioned how serviceable a once-weekly shuttle would be.
“I don’t think that’s enough,” Smith said. “If you’re just getting a ride there, you have to stay for the whole weekend. It should be a more consistent service.”
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