SGA Shuttle Service 'Trial Run' Meets Student Approval

Author: Gale Berninghausen Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Nov. 20, Wednesday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 25, the Student Government Association (SGA) introduced its shuttle service to Burlington International Airport. According to SGA President Brian Elworthy '02.5, approximately 100 students took advantage of the service and paid a fare of $10 one-way or $20 round-trip. The service provided a convenient and cost-effective alternative for students as they made their Thanksgiving travel plans.

The SGA ran 16 shuttles, each with a carrying capacity of six students plus their luggage.

Elworthy commented that in order to deal with possible delays, the students were "encouraged to leave an extra hour, and in some cases an extra two hours, for themselves when they arrived [in Burlington] on Sunday." The telephone number of the shuttle service company was also given to student travelers and the shuttle drivers were asked to wait for delayed students upon their own discretion.

Grace Hardy '03 was among the students who utilized the service.

After missing a flight on Sunday, she found that the shuttle driver was flexible and willing to bring her back on a later shuttle. Hardy commented, "Everything worked perfectly."

Nina Popel '04, whose travel plans included a round-trip ticket on the shuttle thought that the service was "very convenient."

As for the future of the shuttle service, Elworthy said the SGA will determine the success of this "trial run" and decide whether to "institutionalize this service and make it available to students for winter and spring breaks."

Many students, however, use the larger airports in Albany and Manchester. Elworthy said he was aware of this and suggested that SGA could "at least do some preliminary investigating into the feasibility of offering service to Manchester and Albany."

This shuttle service has the potential to serve a greater number of students during travel times and possibly even to provide transportation to entertainment venues in major cities, a long range goal which Elworthy said supports the College's vision of a pedestrian campus.

Elworthy noted that the permanent implementation of a shuttle service is "one more way that we are able to legitimize our request for students to leave their cars at home."

Connie Bission, sustainable campus coordinator in the Office of Environmental Affairs, said she considered the shuttle service as "a great step towards building the pedestrian campus."

She also stated, "I want to support building the shuttle program, and the Environmental Council [which has funded Environmental Quality's yellow bike program] would as well."