No problems with shuttles on first day

Everything about the first day of classes at the River Campus was a trial run, especially the two new university shuttle routes set up to take students back and forth from the main campus to the downtown performing arts campus.

Monday was the first day the new River Campus shuttle routes were tried in a real-life situation, and the university Department of Public Safety's Beth Glaus said information is still being gathered about what works and what doesn't. The university added two routes to its shuttle schedule to accommodate River Campus student traffic. River Campus shuttles also stop at Cape County Transit Authority stops, allowing students to pick up groceries or run other errands. At those stops, students may board transit authority buses and nonstudents can board university shuttles. Glaus said the system might entice more community members to visit campus because they won't have to drive to the main campus and deal with parking and other hassles.

Information such as where students primarily get on and off the River Campus shuttles -- two of them make two trips per hour to the main campus and back -- and peak usage times is being gathered. Glaus said she observed a few buses load and unload Monday morning and was pleased with what she saw.

Students at the River Campus had few complaints as they waited for shuttles or got off incoming buses. One student told a friend her shuttle had run 10 minutes late, but other students said they got where they needed on time.

Senior psychology major Sara West has only one class at the River Campus that she needs to use the shuttle for, but she said the two added routes actually make getting around the main campus easier as well.

Freshman musical theater major Jessi Lynn Cochran's classes are all at the new campus, so the shuttle routes serve her needs, she said.

Campus interim director Dr. Gary Miller said his first question to students in his first morning class was about how well the shuttle system served them.

"I told them to speak up, because we won't know there are problems unless they tell us," Miller said. No problems were reported.

Many River Campus students have no need for shuttles -- they have tags that allow them to park in one of 206 student spaces. Another 31 spaces will be added later on Morgan Oak Street across from the campus.

-- Matt Sanders