SGA initiates $5 vacation shuttle program

In past years, students’ options for airport transport have been limited to friends’ cars and expensive local transportation services. Due to these conditions, the SGA will now be offering $5 airport shuttle buses for the upcoming Thanksgiving vacation, and it is planning to offer the same for every other major break. SGA President Riley O’Rourke ’12 and Transportation Director Matt George ’12 spearheaded the initiative.

“I felt that it was unfair for students to have to pay large amounts of money on top of their flights in order to get home during breaks,” O’Rourke said. “I heard a lot of students complaining and felt that the SGA had the ability and duty to alleviate this burden.”

George received countless complaints from students about costs upwards of $60 to use a one-way transportation service to the airport.

“For some, it cost more to get to and from the airport than the actual airline ticket did,” George said. “I’ve heard of students working two or three jobs just to pay for tickets and the added cost of transportation.”

O’Rourke and George brainstormed methods of offering low-cost shuttles and came upon the idea of a “package deal” contract.  Local transportation companies were asked to name their best price — or bid — for 12 to 18 airport shuttles during the months of November and December.  The company that was able to offer the lowest price won the bid, and the SGA extended them a contract. The cost of shuttles was further reduced when the SGA passed a bill to fund the shuttle program.

Bristol Tours, stationed in Bristol, won the package deal, and this was one factor that has allowed the seat prices to be so low. In addition, Bristol Tours’ buses run on biodiesel fuel and are the only buses in the state of Vermont to be powered by alternative fuels, eliminating the otherwise necessary added cost of gas taxes.

Neither MiddTransit nor Jessica’s Vital Transit were able to offer the personalized shuttle service the SGA was looking for.  In prior years, the two companies were the only local companies available for airport transit. Their monopoly allowed them to charge whatever they wanted for airport shuttles.

When contacted, both Jessica’s Vital Transit and MiddTransit claimed not to have spoken to the SGA regarding the Thanksgiving break shuttle buses, but said that they had been contacted about the December shuttles. A representative of Jessica’s Vital Transit commented on the shuttles, saying, “If we had been contacted [for the November shuttles], we would have offered a comprehensive sustainable program that would benefit and serve the entirety of the student body throughout the year.”

O’Rourke and George however, say there are several e-mail conversations to prove communications with both companies and that while Jessica’s Vital Transit offered small van transportation for the December shuttles — an offer O’Rourke and George say the SGA showed interest in — it ceased communication with the SGA without putting in a quote or formulating any sort of plan.
Despite high levels of interest in the SGA’s program, Jessica’s Vital Transit does not feel threatened by the $5 shuttles, as not every student will receive a seat for the upcoming break and such shuttles are not being offered year-round.

Conversely, MiddTransit acknowledged that they are not capable of meeting the SGA’s planned shuttle needs, as their largest vehicle can only carry 14 passengers. Bill Fuller, co-owner of MiddTransit, said that the company’s business model is designed to promote high-quality service, so they do not own large-capacity buses.

“[The $5 shuttles] will clearly have an impact on our business,” said Fuller. “If the transportation needs of the College change, then we will need to change. If we are excluded and the demand for our service is reduced, we will … reduce our service level to the College community.” Fuller also noted the difficulty of maintaining a ground transportation service in a small town in Vermont.
MiddTransit’s lowest per-student rate is $25 for groups of seven or more, and has been such since the business first began eight years ago. Though competing with the SGA program will be a challenge, Fuller impressed that one overriding convenience of his shuttle service is its ability to adapt to changing airline schedules, which is something that the $5 shuttles cannot promise to do.
Regarding future shuttles, the SGA plans to re-contract all break buses and shuttles for future vacations so they can be run at cost, which may ultimately result in a slight increase in ticket prices.

“I feel like I’ve built a system which is not perfect, but will advance over time — in cooperation with local businesses — to meet students’ needs and bring Midd a little closer to home,” said George.
Shuttles are being offered on Tuesday, Nov. 23 and Wednesday, Nov. 24 for students flying out of Burlington International Airport and on Sunday, Nov. 28 and Monday, Nov. 29 for those returning to campus.  Round-trip buses to New York and Boston are also available for Thanksgiving.

Students are reminded to buy their tickets in advance, as selling tickets in airport pick-up zones is illegal. December and January shuttles have also been scheduled and tickets are available for purchase at go/boxoffice.