Students rushing to class in the middle of the day may soon find their trip a little easier.
Thanks to the acquisition of four new Orion-model buses, student capacity at peak travel times of the day will increase, said Catherine Reeve, director of parking and transportation.
The new buses will run in addition to the older buses, eventually replacing them. "We're going to keep some buses on even with these new buses coming on to meet the demand of the 2:30 to 3:30 [p.m.] time period. These buses are going to be able to accommodate the increased demand this semester," Reeve said.
The new buses include a scrolling marquee and perimeter seating--features similar to the Orion buses currently in use. The buses will use cleaner diesel technology, which will allow them to meet much higher emission standards, Assistant Director of Transit Peter Murphy explained.
"With the pollution issue, the clean diesel buses do much better," he said.
The buses, ordered in the fall of 2001, will join a band of older buses, some of which have more than 20 years of road use.
"Liability is a factor. Two of the buses we were using were 1982 or 1981 models. When you have a newer fleet it makes it easier to rotate and keep up with maintenance," Murphy said.
Despite the improved features, some students expressed mixed feelings about the benefits the new buses will bring.
"Anything that would improve East to West [Campus] travel would help but there are sometimes more things [transportation officials] could do than just putting newer buses in the rotation," said third-year law student Erin Nicholson.
Ridership issues aside, the new buses are also easier to handle. Bus operator Clark Smith explained that the older Blue Bird buses are not as finely-tuned as Orions.
"The Blue Birds have a smaller turning radius. On some routes, we specify only Orions can be used because Blue Birds can't make it," Smith said.
But while students, administrators and bus operators ultimately welcomed the new additions, Reeve admitted that the procurement process was difficult.
"It's been very disappointing and very frustrating. We ordered the buses in 2001. We wanted them for the start of [this] school year," Reeve said.
The new buses must get approved by the State Department of Transportation, a decision anticipated to come in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, many students remain optimistic about the new buses.
"It's definitely a good thing," freshman Mark Donald said. "It'll help me to make it class on time."
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