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NewsvineMany students gave thanks last week for a shuttle system organized by the ASSU that carried them to nearby airports before Thanksgiving Break.
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ASSU Vice President Mondaire Jones ‘09 said the shuttles ran at an occupancy rate of 88 percent during the two-day operation, with 591 of the 672 available seats sold. He said that capacity was lower than planned due to the fact that shuttles were not able to run on an hourly schedule. But 20 of the shuttle time slots were completely sold out.
The ASSU voted to reapprove the shuttle funding for Thanksgiving Break earlier this month, while the GSC moved to earmark $2,706 from the Graduate Student General Fee Reserve to co-sponsor the $7,200 shuttle program. The shuttles, which carried a per-ticket cost of $10, ran to both San Francisco and San Jose International Airports on Friday and Saturday of last week from 5 a.m to 6 p.m.
The program has not always been as popular as it was last week. At the end of spring quarter last year, the ASSU launched a test program that ran below 20 percent capacity, with only 374 seats sold out of a total 1,980.
But even with the improved usage rate this year, a few kinks remained in the program. Three reported students were left behind by the shuttles.
That number is down from the eight to 10 who were passed up during the June trial run, but it still raises concerns in the ASSU about continuing to use Compass Transportation as a shuttle services vendor.
ASSU President Hershey Avula ‘08, who used the shuttle himself, acknowledged that, though it was a financial success, the program was far from flawless.
“I definitely had to correct some errors made by the driver in the route and stops,” he said. “So I know first hand that the service was not perfect.”
Senator Jose Benchimol ‘08 — the lone dissenter in last spring’s vote to fund the program — supported the latest incarnation of the bill, citing smaller busses, higher ticket prices and more demand from students as improvements to the program.
“As it was before, we had to pay for the service with general fees,” he said. “Now the service is sustainable and we won’t need to [use general fees next time].”
Due to the general smoothness of the program’s execution and the high occupancy rate, Benchimol said he expected that the shuttle program would continue in the future, adding that the ASSU is considering advertising on the shuttles as a way to offset the costs and lower ticket prices.
Avula said he was hopeful that the service would be continued for the end of this quarter and in the future, although specific plans for such a program have not yet been laid.
“I think the service this break was very cost-effective, efficient and convenient for Stanford students,” Avula said. “I hope it continues to run in the future."