Aggie shuttle service and what it offers students

The Aggie shuttle service on Utah State University campus means there are 11 buses around campus shuttling students around from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“It’s still the most popular way to get to campus,” said Alden Erickson, who is the Shuttle Operations Supervisor in the Parking and Transportation department. About 1.2 million people ride the buses each year, which is “a lot, compared to comparable-sized universities and student bodies, and our student fees are considerably lower than most,” Erickson said. “It’s a great value.”

Students taking 12 to 18 credits have paid $20.92 per semester toward the Aggie shuttles during the 2015-16 academic year, according to the official USU Tuition and Fees statement for the year.

The purpose of the bus system is to help students not only get around campus, but to bring students from commuter parking lots — such as those by the stadium — closer to the main buildings on campus.

Francesca Matern is a junior majoring in sociology and living in Old Farm, just off-campus and across the street from the Maverik Stadium. She rides the bus regularly from one of the stadium stops to main campus.

“I ride because I don’t have a car up here,” Matern said, “but parking would be a nightmare anyway.”

More students ride the buses during the winter due to the colder weather, but the shuttles are used regularly throughout the school year.

The shuttle services employ 27 drivers, 23 of whom are students, and there are five different shuttle routes the buses take, including the evening route, which runs for students who are on campus later at night.

“Our biggest goal is that the shuttles provide quality service, that they get students around campus efficiently,” said Joe Izatt, assistant director of the Parking and Transportation department. “We’re always trying to improve, trying to look at routes to make them quicker… we look at ridership and how many buses we need at a certain time.”

One improvement coming soon is the addition of two new buses in March, as well as some route changes that will be implemented at the beginning of the coming fall semester, Erickson said. Routes are often being shortened to help students get places sooner, and to create shorter wait times at stops.

“I would encourage everybody to use the shuttle system, to make it — if they can — beneficial for themselves,” Izatt said. “That’s really what it’s there for.”

The shuttles are not only handicapped excusable, while also having bike racks on the front, they can also be rented out for any kind of USU-related field trips, charters or group trips, Erickson said.

Erickson offers some tips for students riding the shuttles:

• Arrive at bus stops about 15 minutes before a class starts.
• Let passengers off before boarding the shuttles.
• Only use the rear doors for exiting the bus.
• Use the live trackers on aggiebus.com to see where the shuttles are in real time or text the shuttle number at each stop to 41-411 to see when the bus will arrive at the stop.

For more information about shuttle services and transportation on campus visit: parking.usu.edu.

— mandy.m.morgan@aggiemail.usu.edu