Friday shuttle services unexpectedly resumed last week, after a Thursday email from President F. King Alexander, but an electronic decree may not have been the only reason for the restoration of the on-campus service.
University officials limited weekly shuttle operation and eliminated on-campus Friday routes at the start of the semester, citing budget concerns and environmental issues, but students may have played a larger role than first noted.
“Over the summer, there was concern about the increased cost of the shuttles,” said Associated Students Inc. President Lucy Nguyen via Facebook’s messaging service. “A proposal was put forth to eliminate the program and reduce U-Pass.”
At the time, ASI negotiated with university officials to save the shuttle program, but could not prevent the elimination of on-campus Friday routes, according to Nguyen.
“We wanted the shuttles to operate all five days of the week,” she said. “But that would have meant that the shuttles operating Monday-Thursday would be operating for shorter amounts of time.”
On Thursday, Alexander reinstated Friday shuttle services without mention of another weekly reduction, citing “popular demand.”
Nguyen explained that, after student complaints, she and other student leaders were able to present a reasoned argument to university officials, convincing them to restore the service.
“We started pushing for Friday shuttles as soon as we were able to get the Monday-Thursday shuttles running,” Nguyen said.
All in all, Nguyen said the restoration of the shuttle service was a result of student leaders working with university officials.
“University administration and [ASI] have been able to work collaboratively on a number of occasions this year,” Nguyen said. “I’m sure university administration is just as happy as ASI that the shuttles are up and running.”
Shuttle services resumed last Friday, operating on the east and west campus routes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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