Unreliable shuttle leads to unsatisfied students
We’ve all been there: in a rush to get to your next class on Concordia’s other campus, you see the shuttle bus line from afar. Right away, you know that you are going to be late.
Why is it that, two months into the semester, there is still some confusion about the shuttle bus operation?
Concordia advertises a wait of “20 to 25 minutes,” so why is it that about 50 students (including one of our staff members) at the Loyola Campus waited 45 minutes for a shuttle bus to downtown, while two buses passed by letting students off, but not picking any up?
At around 10:40 a.m. last Wednesday morning, a shuttle bus pulled up and students began embarking, only to be told seconds later by the bus driver that the bus wasn’t going to be leaving for another 35 minutes. The students, confused, got off the bus, and back into line. The driver took off, on what we can only assume was his lunch break.
At about 10:55, a second bus pulled up, letting students off. The students waiting at Loyola prepared to get on the bus, only for it to be made obvious that this bus was not picking anyone up either. An obviously frustrated student asked the bus driver why no buses were going back downtown. The bus driver made a shrugging motion; the defeated student got off the bus, and the driver drove away.
While it should be noted that the schedule listed on Concordia’s website says a bus passes at 10:30 and 11:15, which is what happened, a sign posted outside the shuttle bus shelter only shows the bus times for Fridays.
Considering it takes about 45 minutes to travel with public transit between campuses, at the very least, it should be clearly stated when there will be a wait for the shuttle that is equally long. Many students don’t have the luxury of a bus pass, and rely on the shuttle to be there when they need it, without having to wait obscene amounts of time (in the middle of the school day, no less).
It doesn’t help that the GPS navigation feature on the shuttle bus locator screen is under construction. Why bother offering a subpar service that only leads to dissatisfaction and frustration? Also, why does service slow down (from a 15-minute wait between buses, to a 45-minute wait) at 10:30 a.m., clearly a busy time for students needing to switch campuses in order to make it to their next class.
Unfortunately, it seems students won’t have much chance to get their voice heard on the matter. Also, it seems to be unfair for the bus drivers, who only show up when they’re supposed to, but have to feel the heat of frustrated students who have no one else to project their dissatisfaction onto.
Clearly, Concordia is not on a roll with their shuttle service.
