The winter break run of the ASSU airport shuttle operated relatively smoothly, but not without a few bumps in the road.

The program, which has grown in popularity since its inception last spring, had inadequate resources to handle the high demand for shuttles during its Thanksgiving run, and as a result, the ASSU made a few changes for the winter break program in order to handle the spike in passengers.

“We decided to not only have the shuttles run more frequently, but also added another shuttle for our San Jose airport rounds,” said ASSU President Hershey Avula ‘08. “In total, we saw this increase in supply meet the demand reasonably well, as the program attracted 818 student users without completely selling out all the shuttles.”

Avula said a few changes were made to the ASSU Web site instructions as well. Passengers were encouraged to arrive at shuttle pick-up locations at the time their shuttle first began its run. In past runs, many passengers arrived at the location-specific pick-up time suggested by the ASSU’s time schedule.

The ASSU said the winter run resulted in fewer reported problems than any other run. Still, two students were denied entry to the 9 a.m. shuttle to San Francisco International Airport by the driver, who was using seat space for excess passenger luggage.

Avula was surprised at the problem and said the ASSU will be contacting the shuttle vendor for more information.

Undergraduate Senate Chair Priyanka Sharma ‘09 said the ASSU is looking to operate the shuttle service at the end of winter quarter.

“Tentatively speaking, the shuttle will probably run again for spring break since we want to consistently provide the students with a cheap, good service,” she said.

The ASSU is already considering a few changes for a potential shuttle run during spring break.

“At this point we are beginning to take into consideration bringing students back from the airport as well as trying to make our service more accommodating to students,” Avula said. “We are also looking into a more sophisticated ticketing system and instructing the drivers more thoroughly to ensure that they do not overlook or miss any stops with students waiting.”

The ASSU will be seeking approval with the “appropriate legislative bodies” before committing to a round of airport shuttles for the end of winter quarter.