The Collegian
Friday, March 29, 2024

Safety shuttle initiates new route around campus

The University of Richmond strives to keep its students safe at all hours of the day and night, and its safety shuttle now makes a continuous loop around campus until the early hours of the morning.

The safety shuttle used to pick up and drop off female students anywhere on campus after receiving a call. Its circuit had no rhyme or reason and constantly changed depending on the students' social lives.

After a series of assaults on campus last semester, male students were allowed to ride the safety shuttle for the first time, making seats scarce and hard to come by for those actually in need of a ride.

"The safety shuttle was initiated in order to help girls feel safe on campus," said sophomore Elizabeth Applin, who used to answer the phone for the shuttle before it got its makeover.

"However, it became a taxi service ... there were many times when large groups of people would call not out of fear, but rather out of laziness."

After male students started using the shuttle, it became overwhelmed with calls and decided to change its routine slightly for convenience.

"Because the demand and volume of shuttle service calls had increased to an amount the police department could not effectively keep up with, we felt having a set continuous route on campus would better meet the needs of all the students," said Cathy Rossi, assistant director of business operations, who oversees the department in charge of running the shuttle.

"The continuous loop should provide quicker access than the call-in service."

The shuttle now runs everyday a week from 7 p.m. until 3:30 a.m., stopping at 15 designated areas around campus marked by a "UR Safety Shuttle Stop" signs.

UR Drive traffic circle at the UFA 900 block

UR Drive at the Special Programs Building

R-Lot

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Crenshaw Way at N-Lot

Keller Road at the entrance to Keller Hall

Keller Road stop sign at Westhampton Way

North Court triangle

South Court at W-Lot stairs

X-Lot at Moore Hall

X-Lot at the gym

Entrance to the Robins Center

Richmond Way at the International Center

Richmond Way at Whitehurst

Tyler Haynes Commons

Entrance to the roundabout on Ryland Circle near the Jepson School

Rossi said that another stop should be added to the route soon.

"We are potentially adding a 16th stop that will service the students who have student housing on Bostwick Lane," she said. "That additional stop should be in place by the weekend."

The question on many students' minds may be whether this continuous loop will be quicker and more convenient in the long run for those in need of a ride or if they will have to wait longer for the shuttle than they had to wait before.

Rossi believes that the new route should provide faster service than when the shuttle was run as a call-in service because the higher number of calls became too much to handle for the driver.

But, she said: "It is important for the student body to understand that the purpose of this shuttle is to ensure that students can navigate campus safely in the evenings. Students should be respectful of the drivers and conduct themselves appropriately while utilizing the shuttles."

Applin, on the other hand, thinks that the new route will provide faster service for some students, but not all.

"When I was the shuttle dispatcher, many calls came from the Gray Court, North Court, South Court area," she said. "Thus, the students waiting there essentially got quicker service than the students waiting by the apartments."

Those students who are used to the shuttle arriving quite soon after being contacted may have to learn to be patient, as the circuit takes about 15-20 minutes to go through, depending on the number of passengers on any particular night.

"Time should be about the same," said Lt. John Jacobs, the administrative services supervisor, when asked about the efficiency of the newly-improved shuttle.

"[Students] can always look on the GPS map to see where it is before they go catch the shuttle."

The GPS map is located on the transportation website at transportation.richmond.edu under "GPS Bus Tracking," which leads directly to a map of the university and shows exactly where the shuttle is located on campus, in what direction it is going, where the next stop will be and even what speed the vehicle is moving.

"This new system is definitely more efficient, though," Applin said. "I think this gained efficiency will help with the speed and travel of the safety shuttle."

It might take time for students to get used to the changes, but the hope is that the new system will flow a little smoother than before and, above all, keep the students as safe as possible.

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