New Shuttle Gets Mixed Reviews From Students

The new HU shuttle route that travels to University Town Center has left some students with mixed feelings and questions. 

Around 8:30 a.m., early riser Wesley Rimpson, a junior broadcast journalism major, stated there isn't heavy crowd issues. His only issue is that it does not run all day.

"I'm done around 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesdays. Now I have to get on the metro, and pay extra if I want to go home," Rimpson said.

The fact that the HU UTC shuttle is smaller compared to University of Maryland's buses bothers Deniqua Campbell, a junior print journalism major. 

"It's upsetting knowing that other schools have a better shuttle service. We pay a lot of money to attend Howard. We deserve a system we can rely on," Campbell said.   

Ebony Metters, a junior sociology major,  has a problem like many other students are facing. "The evening shuttles run late and are inconsistent with their arrival times," Metters said. 

"It starting back up at 7:30 p.m. is ridiculous," said Kimberly Bunting, a senior anthropology major. "They really need to consider the fact that the later times causes more students to get left back. I got left back about twice."

Timothy Thuku, a senior economics major, has experienced the evening shuttle rush. "There are always huge crowds in the evening, I'll be waiting for hours for it to come, and I end up having to take the train."

Thuku does appreciate that the shuttle is a less expensive travel option. "That is about $6 a day, $30 a week and $120 a month we are saving," he said. 

The majority of HU students residing at UTC suggested that the time schedule should start earlier, around 5:00pm. Most classes are finished by that time which prevents crowding around  7:00pm. Residents also asked for bigger shuttles that come more frequently.

Thuku's friend, Coralie Saint-Louis, a senior broadcast journalism major also suggested that there should be a weekend shuttle. She stated that students taking Saturday classes need them.

"I would like to know the reason for the time gap between the shuttles, especially when those are times when people have classes" said Ishna Hagan, a senior broadcast journalism major. 

HUSA President Brandon Harris understands the concerns regarding the shuttles.

"I admit it's not perfect, but we're making the first step in the right direction," Harris said. "We're definitely going to adjust the schedule. The deal we made was after one month we're going to evaluate it and make some changes."

Harris stated he did not want the students to think we're abandoning them. "We're also looking into getting another shuttle," he said. 

According to Harris, the current operation with the two shuttles costs about $150,000. 

Harris said that if all goes well the shuttles will run for two years. "By that time, two new dorms should be built on Howard's campus," he said. 

The continuing of the shuttle is a point of contingency for junior psychology major, Jendayi Phillip.

"The shuttle influenced me into living so far off campus and if they do not continue next year I may just look into options closer to campus," Phillip said. "The shuttle will have some impact on my decision to renewing my lease."