SEMO SHUTTLE SYSTEM IS CRUISING ALONG

Southeast Missouri State University's new shuttle bus system is cruising along, officials say.

The university has instituted the system in an attempt to increase usage of its perimeter parking areas and ease parking problems closer to the campus.

"Overall, it has been extremely successful," said Doug Richards, director of University Police and transportation. "We hauled over 1,200 riders the first week and over 1,300 our second week."

Still, many students are bypassing the shuttle buses in favor of a more pedestrian approach.

"I think a lot of people are choosing to walk," said Jeff Davis, a senior at Southeast and president of the Student Government Association.

Davis, who lives in the Greek housing complex at the north end of the campus, prefers to walk across campus to his political science classes at Kent Library on the university's south side.

He said he has yet to ride the shuttle buses.

Davis said most of his classes are in Kent Library this semester so he doesn't have to travel from building to building.

The shuttle bus system makes more sense for commuter students who are underclassmen and have to travel between classes that are across campus, Davis said.

He said he hasn't heard any complaints from students about the shuttle system. "Honestly, I have not heard much one way or the other."

In contrast, Davis said he's heard numerous complaints from students about parking in general and the allocation of parking spaces.

He recalled the case of a woman who was 7 months pregnant and had been given a sticker to park in a perimeter lot. She now has a "handicapped parking" sticker so she can park closer to her classes, Davis said.

The three red, white and black shuttle buses are operated by Kelley Transportation of Cape Girardeau under a $140,000 contract with the university.

The buses are owned by Kelley Transportation. "We supply the drivers, the insurance, the maintenance, the licensing and everything," said Terrence Kelley, the company's vice president.

Southeast not only pays the company for operating the service, but also pays the fuel bill.

Kelley said he's not surprised that many students may choose to walk rather than ride for now.

"If you are 20 years old and you feel good, you're going to walk if it's nice weather," he said.

But when the weather turns foul, it'll be a different story, he maintained.

Already, the system has received praise from students, said Kelley. "I have had a lot of kids brag on them."

The 20-passenger buses are handicapped accessible. "They are A number one buses," said Kelley.

Flooding delayed delivery of the buses from the manufacturer, so the system began the school year on Aug. 23 with vans.

Richards said the ridership totals for the first two weeks involved use of the temporary vans. The new buses have only been in operation since last Friday afternoon, he pointed out.

"We feel that with the new buses, the new bus stops going in and the phones ... that number is going to increase," Richards said.

The university is planning to install bus stop shelters, each of which will accommodate up to 25 people. The covered shelters will include emergency telephones directly linked to the University Police office.

Richards said the shelters should be erected within three to four weeks.

"We have a total of four routes three day routes and one night route," he said.

One day route begins at the parking lot on the west side of the Show Me Center and includes stops at the Scully Building, Henderson Street near the University Center, Houck Stadium, Pacific and Normal, and the Washington Street parking lot.

Another route begins at the Show Me Center, but makes the stops in reverse order. Then there is an express bus, which travels from the Show Me Center to the Henderson Street stop and back again, with a stop at the Scully Building each way.

The express bus runs once an hour, while the other two buses operate continuously. With buses on staggered schedules, students normally don't have to wait more than 12 minutes at any bus stop, Richards said.

The daytime routes are run from 7:20 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A nighttime shuttle operates from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, Richards said. The nighttime shuttle includes stops at residence halls. Passengers may have to wait 20 to 25 minutes at most for the nighttime shuttle, he said.

The shuttle system has resulted in increased usage of the university's perimeter parking lots, Richards said.

The shuttle system is geared to serve the students. But at this point, he said, the university has not required riders to display university identification.

University officials have discussed the possibility of requiring passengers to pay a small fee to ride the shuttle. But at least for now, there is no charge.

"We want to get all the flaws out of the system before we incorporate any charges or fees," said Richards.