Sober Shuttle 1:15 AM Amherst Town Center
So, like last weekend, the regular Sunderland bus arrived at 1:13 AM and picked up two dozen or more college aged passengers at the downtown bus stop in front of the Amherst Post Office. As that bus was leaving, almost full, the first ever Sober Shuttle arrives 1:15 AM, almost empty (except for a police officer), and then left six or seven minutes later with less than a dozen passengers.
Most of this crowd boarded the regular Sunderland bus
Sunderland bus leaves town center with standing room only crowd 1:15 AM
This shuttle is a great idea coming from UMass SGA president Akshay Kapoor. As with any new endeavor, it will take time and active publicity for awareness to spread enough that it is used at the desired level. I believe the organizers of the shuttle will be trying to get flyers about the shuttle into late-night businesses as well as other places where students will see them. In as far as students roaming back to campus late at night is a central complaint of some neighbors, this means of reducing that issue is a worthy effort.
ReplyDeleteIt takes time for people to learn about it. Patience.
ReplyDeleteI hope so.
ReplyDeleteAs I was driving up town around 1:00 AM for the photo shoot, I could hear APD making an arrest for DUI.
I'm happy that at least a few people were able to get a safe ride back to their housing! One less drunk driver promotes safety for not only students but anyone else that is out and about. Great Job UMass, I hope that in the upcoming weeks more students will take advantage of this shuttle service!
ReplyDeleteIt's not going to solve every problem. Remember, we have a fired department but still houses burn down.
ReplyDeleteIt only makes sense to hop on a bus when you're standing in the cold!
ReplyDeleteI was a UMass student paying almost $100/year for a bus that I almost never used - and the few times I did, to go to the Shop & Stop when my car was broken, it was on a bus that was so badly overloaded that I actually was surprised that the transmission didn't drop out of it as it lumbered along. This would have been about 7-8 PM on a Thursday/Friday night -- and this is par for the course, I was told.
ReplyDeleteTo say that the UMass Transit is mismanaged is an understatement -- and hence when the students have to pay even more, I am not surprised it is for a service that no one really uses and not something that makes sense, like in terms of safety sense, such as a second bus when there is a known demand that would fill BOTH of them at that time.
No, that would make sense.
Isn't this past your bedtime?
ReplyDeleteNo sacrifice too great for my readers (including you I guess).
ReplyDelete