Saving Student or Saving Money?

                As a student of Framingham State University, you have probably heard or have had your own complaints about the shuttle bus. The bus is supposed to be a reliable way to transport students to and from parking lots, but the buses rarely arrive on time. The school wants to be “green” and eliminate air pollution from too much vehicle use. However, students are put in potential danger by waiting alone off-campus parking lots. Students at FSU are often forced to wait for long periods of time, sometimes in the cold and sometimes late at night, for a bus to retrieve them. The dispatch, which is supposed to keep contact with the drivers, is not always helpful because the drivers do not always arrive within a timely manner.

                FSU’s shuttle schedule claims that the shuttle travels from the on campus stop at Bemont to the Union lots and Maple lots on a continuous loop from 7:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m., and then runs every half hour until 10:00 p.m. The school decided not to have a shuttle run continuously all day to reduce the air pollution from the buses. However, I believe another reason is to save money. The buses aren’t cheap, and gas prices are rising. There also needs to be an efficient number of hired drivers.

This wouldn't be much of a problem, if the shuttle actually followed the schedule. Instead, students will show up at the Bemont stop on campus to wait for the 7:15 bus, which won’t come until 7:45. Students often have other responsibilities outside of school- work, internships, and appointments. Since our parking lots are off campus, about a 20 minute walk, most students choose to take the bus. If the bus is late in the morning, students risk arriving late to wherever they need to be. A sign of unprofessionalism, tardiness may cause students to face consequences. On the other side, students can be late to class if they are returning from work in the afternoon. The buses simply do not arrive at the times that they are scheduled; if the shuttles are not consistent, there should not be a consistent schedule for students to follow and get confused.

                The unreliability of the shuttle can also pose a danger risk to students. If a student returns at night, and the shuttle does not reach the parking lot in a timely manner, there is a chance that an intruder can come on to the lot and kidnap a student. There are emergency buttons, but they do not always work. It only takes seconds for a person to be kidnapped. In addition, the shuttle only runs on dispatch after 10:00 p.m. There has been more than one occasion when I called the dispatch after returning to campus from work, only to be told the bus would arrive in five minutes. However, 45 minutes later I was still sitting in the cold waiting for the bus. At the risk of catching a cold, I often choose to walk the 20 minutes back to campus in the dark- not a safe decision since Framingham isn’t exactly the safest town in the state.

                The shuttle’s unreliability is annoying and potentially dangerous to students on this campus. After having to wait for a ridiculous amount of time on numerous occasions, many students have come to despise the shuttle. Waiting alone late at night is dangerous to students who can be snatched up quickly in the desolate areas, especially in the Union lot. The wintertime can also be dangerous to students, as waiting in the cold can cause sickness. The school needs to think more about the students’ health and safety and less about the money spent on the driving the buses.