A huge line wrapping around the Hall Building or a line going all the way back to the Vanier Library. This is a scene played over everyday. The shuttle bus has been slower than ever before, making the trip from one campus to other an eternity.
Part of what is making the wait so long is the access to the Ville Marie Highway ramp on St. Jacques, which is blocked for construction. This is slowing down the commute between the Loyola and the Sir George Williams Campuses. The regular 18 minute ride now lasts 25 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic. During peak times, which are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there are five shuttle buses running at the same time.
But this is not enough. More buses are needed. This situation is unacceptable. Students have classes that they need to get to. They can’t waste time waiting for a bus. Some people refuse to take the shuttle bus, since it is not dependable and they lose more than an hour in traveling time per day if they park their cars at Loyola.
People in charge of the shuttle bus service say more buses on the road will not alleviate the long lines. They say two buses will end up at one campus, but that will get students on the road much faster and to a campus faster. This is better than waiting another 20 minutes for another bus. With the traffic slowing dowan buses there needs to be more of them, so that each one can get to a campus faster.
Many students avoid going to Loyola because of the transportation issue. That is a shame since Loyola is a beautiful and relaxing campus with free parking spots around campus. If the shuttle buses were more dependable, then more students would go to the Loyola campus.
All the sciences will be moving to Loyola when the new Science Complex is completed. This will result in a huge influx of students to the campus. If the shuttle bus is inefficient now, imagine when the building opens next September. The shuttle bus issue must be dealt with now.
Many students are not aware of different routes and should be told of alternative options of getting to the Loyola campus. If you take the Metro to get to the downtown campus, don’t take the shuttle bus from the Hall Building. Take the Metro until Villa Maria and then take the 162. The bus ride is about 10 minutes. Going by Metro and bus from Loyola to the downtown campus takes a half-hour on average. Fifteen minutes by bus with the 105 to get to Vendome Metro and fifteen minutes by Metro to get to Guy-Concordia.
Most students going from one campus to another depend on the shuttle bus to get to their classes. This is a vital service that cannot be ignored. More buses on the road will get more people moving faster. The university cannot wait for the influx of science students trying to get to Loyola, before taking action on the issue of the shuttle bus.
