Transportation services creates shopping shuttle to save students money
For Martin Wachira, carpooling, vanpooling and shuttling are convenient alternatives to gas guzzling. But he does not ride the shuttle to dodge searching for a parking spot on campus, or carpool to cut back on gas.
In fact, Wachira, an international graduate student, does not have a car. He rides the shuttle because he has to.
“I go shopping with my friends since I don’t have a car,” Wachira said. “For the holidays I don’t stay on campus. In December, I visit with my friends and family in Kenya.”
Wachira is one of many international students at GCSU who may benefit from the launch of the new Shopping Shuttle on May 12 to transport students from Maxwell Student Union, The Village at West Campus and Centennial Village to the Milledgeville Mall and Wal-Mart plaza.
“(The Shopping Shuttle) came at a pretty convenient time for me. Now I can get my groceries,” Wachira said.
Darryl Richardson, Transportation Services coordinator, says students with and without cars should take advantage of the shuttle to save on fuel costs and prevent wear and tear on vehicles.
James Green, GCSU sophomore computer science major, has a car, but rides the West Campus shuttle to class almost everyday.
“I believe that the shuttle is very beneficial,” he said. “Especially during the summer time with gas getting high you don’t have to worry about wasting gas.”
One ride on the Shopping Shuttle is cheaper than a gallon of gas in Georgia. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Georgia is $2.65, according to the American Automobile Association’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
The price for one ride on the Shopping Shuttle is 83 cents, Richardson said. The average price for a one-way cab ride to Wal-Mart is $5.
“Purchase a $20 (ride card) and get 24 rides for 83 cents a ride. Say you take 10 rides, that’s $8.30. Compare that to 10 rides in a taxicab,” Richardson said.
Depending on how often students go to the store a $20 ride card “may last the whole semester.”
Students can purchase shopping shuttle ride cards at GCSU bookstores, The Village Market at West Campus and at the Parking & Transportation Services office at West Campus.
After three years of anticipation, planning and negotiation, the Shopping Shuttle will continue to run as long as there is a need for the service.
According to a GCSU press release, the need for a shopping shuttle service came from international students who did not have driver’s licenses and relied on cabs.
However, insurance issues prevented the shuttle from running in 2004; until the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia reevaluated the insurance policy.
Now, students will have two hours to browse in the mall or grab some groceries from Wal-Mart.
Marcus Green, GCSU sophomore accounting major, only rode the shopping shuttle once.
“Having it available is convenient. The every two hour wait, I don’t mind. I can take my time and spend two hours in Wal-Mart,” he said.
Madeline Kimbakala, GCSU international graduate student, regularly rides the West Campus shuttle to class, but does not plan to ride the shopping shuttle.
“If I just want to go to Wal-Mart I ride with my roommates or friends,” she said.
In the middle of the fall semester, there may be some incentives for students to ride the Shopping Shuttle, said Greg Brown, manager of Transportation Services.
“Depending on the demand, we may look into increasing the hours of the shuttle to evenings during the weekdays, but the prices are as low as they can go right now,” he said.
For some student drivers, shuttling may become a convenient alternative to gas guzzling.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Aug 31 2007. Filed under News.
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