Campus shuttles are available until midnight, but most students stop using them around 10 p.m.
Still, the shuttles continue to run as a matter of safety.
According to sustainable transportation coordinator at CSULB Elissa Thomas, student facilities such as the library, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and the Horn Center are open until midnight and the school wants to make sure that students are able to safely make it to their cars or dorms.
Mike Kaye, on-site shuttle supervisor, said the campus shuttles ran until 10 p.m. in 2002, but the university was forced to take action when a student was attacked late in the night. The university extended the shuttles’ running times in an attempt to increase student safety and prevent such incidents.
Thomas said there was an isolated incident in September this year when a graduate student complained about the east campus shuttle services after 11 p.m. The problem was taken care of instantly and there have not been any complaints since then.
Thomas said the shuttle fees don’t come out of student tuition.
“The shuttle drivers are paid by the hour, not by the student,” Thomas said. “The money for the shuttles comes from parking citations.”
She said other schools have shuttle services, but the type of shuttle service depends on the size of the school. CSULB is fairly large, set in an urban location with classes and parking lots on opposite ends of campus. Therefore, there is a need for students to get around campus, Thomas said.
“Our school offers this service because of the layout of our campus,” she said. “Parking is in one area and the classes in another.”
A system called Syncromatic tracks the shuttles in motion, how full they are and when they are scheduled to arrive. Students can access the system at csulbshuttle.com. Students can also register to get text notifications to their cell phones.
Syncromatic allows school officials to monitor the shuttles and to address any issues that may arise.
“After 9:30-10 p.m., it is rare to have one or two students on the shuttle,” Kaye said.
The campus also has two shuttles that run on the west side and the east side of campus until midnight. Kaye said that there could easily be one shuttle serving both duties late at night, but two shuttles ensure a shorter waiting period.
He said, “Safety is number one and second to safety is customer service.”
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