2008 Woodie Awards
New Happy Bus beneficial
By Jessica Moore
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: News
The addition of a second shuttle bus and the creation of new routes have made students' Happy Bus experience more convenient.
The second shuttle bus and new routes were added in August.
Carol Waters, vice president of student affairs of the Student Government Association, said that the decision was made to add another shuttle bus because there were too many people who wanted to ride the bus, and there was not enough room to accommodate them all.
They would have to wait for the bus to make another loop to get on, Waters said.
There is now a yellow bus and a white bus. The yellow bus takes the off-campus route and the white bus takes the on-campus route.
Along with on-campus stops, Waters said that the yellow bus stops at The Ivy Apartments, The Heights and Giant Eagle.
The white bus makes stops at Campus Side Apartments and Keister Apartments in addition to its on-campus stops, Waters said.
Therefore, Waters said that the loop for the white bus is shorter because its stops are in a closer proximity to campus.
She said that another reason for the addition of a second bus is the fact that between The Ivy Apartments and The Heights, there are nearly 1,000 people.
Waters said that she has received complaints due to the construction on campus, which closed roads and caused some delays for the buses.
Despite complaints, Waters said that ridership has more than doubled.
"On the first day of class last year, there were approximately 200 riders, and on the first day of class this year, there were approximately 500 riders," she said.
In addition to construction complaints, students have complained that the bus stops are not clearly marked and have caused some confusion, particularly at the Rock Apartments and Building F.
The Rock Apartments bus stop is located at the Rock Apartments mailroom, and the Building F bus stop is located at the emergency call box near the building.
Students said that another issue with the shuttle buses is that they arrive early or don't show up at all.
Ashley Rex, a 21-year-old senior athletic training major, said that when she took the bus Wednesday, it was five minutes early.
However, Rex said that she was overall pleased with the Happy Bus because it gets her to class on time and they put up additional signs to help with the confusion of where the stops were.
Despite occasional problems, students said that the Happy Bus is a good service.
"It is good for people who live in the residence halls and have far to walk but have no car," Frank Conti, a 21-year-old senior resort and tourism major, said. "And it is a good way to meet new people."
The second shuttle bus and new routes were added in August.
Carol Waters, vice president of student affairs of the Student Government Association, said that the decision was made to add another shuttle bus because there were too many people who wanted to ride the bus, and there was not enough room to accommodate them all.
They would have to wait for the bus to make another loop to get on, Waters said.
There is now a yellow bus and a white bus. The yellow bus takes the off-campus route and the white bus takes the on-campus route.
Along with on-campus stops, Waters said that the yellow bus stops at The Ivy Apartments, The Heights and Giant Eagle.
The white bus makes stops at Campus Side Apartments and Keister Apartments in addition to its on-campus stops, Waters said.
Therefore, Waters said that the loop for the white bus is shorter because its stops are in a closer proximity to campus.
She said that another reason for the addition of a second bus is the fact that between The Ivy Apartments and The Heights, there are nearly 1,000 people.
Waters said that she has received complaints due to the construction on campus, which closed roads and caused some delays for the buses.
Despite complaints, Waters said that ridership has more than doubled.
"On the first day of class last year, there were approximately 200 riders, and on the first day of class this year, there were approximately 500 riders," she said.
In addition to construction complaints, students have complained that the bus stops are not clearly marked and have caused some confusion, particularly at the Rock Apartments and Building F.
The Rock Apartments bus stop is located at the Rock Apartments mailroom, and the Building F bus stop is located at the emergency call box near the building.
Students said that another issue with the shuttle buses is that they arrive early or don't show up at all.
Ashley Rex, a 21-year-old senior athletic training major, said that when she took the bus Wednesday, it was five minutes early.
However, Rex said that she was overall pleased with the Happy Bus because it gets her to class on time and they put up additional signs to help with the confusion of where the stops were.
Despite occasional problems, students said that the Happy Bus is a good service.
"It is good for people who live in the residence halls and have far to walk but have no car," Frank Conti, a 21-year-old senior resort and tourism major, said. "And it is a good way to meet new people."
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