Column: This Side of The Fence; Making the Aggie Shuttle ride friendlier
The Aggie Shuttle and I have a love-hate relationship. I ride the 800 East Express and, on the one hand, love the shuttle because it takes the drudgery out of traveling up a very large hill. But on the other, I have a problem spooning with complete strangers. It makes the ride a little less than comfortable.
I’m sure most shuttle users have experienced this sensation at least once. It is the feeling you get when a 50-foot bus transforms into a clown car. Everyone is packed in as tight as possible, then you and your five new friends begin the journey, praying that when the end comes, the back doors are working. Of course, they often don’t and you are forced to stare at the ceiling while the pressure around you slowing releases and you can breath normally again.
During the winter, this journey is wet, and often times smelly, especially by mid-afternoon when the shuttles have already carried hundreds of students to school and back again. USU transportation services estimated the shuttles serves on average 6,500 students per day. That works out to about 1 million students per year. That’s a lot of wet and smelly coming together. Get in close quarters with that and the ride is bound to be unpleasant at times.
I’ve heard some suggestions from students, parents and others as to what would make the trip more enjoyable. Karaoke in the back of the bus was the most common. As interesting and creative as this proposition sounds, I think this would prove to be a very bad idea. People are already crammed in. Adding the screeching of those brave enough to sing in front of strangers to this confined space may cause pandemonium, and, at the very least increased discomfort.
May I suggest, to improve bus trip quality and decrease complaints, transportation services adopt a good air freshener and the students adopt a positive, friendlier attitude.
Utah State operates one of the largest shuttle systems in the state of Utah. Between Aug. 30 and May 6 last year, the shuttle served 989, 277 passengers, a service provided relatively inexpensively, too. A service this large, serving so many people cannot be expected to be perfectly sufficient and convenient all the time, especially for what we pay – a mere $11 per semester.
But think of how complicated our lives would become without the Aggie Shuttle. The problem first and foremost in my mind is that our campus resides on the top of a very large hill. If you want to get to class, you have to climb, and not a short shallow hill, but the kind you should get P.E. credit for.
Another problem would be parking. Surely, with the absence of the shuttle, everyone wouldn’t choose to walk. Many would choose to drive and thus, parking would be even more sparse and limited than it already is, which would make it much more expensive than it already is.
The creation of two problems alone outweigh the uncomfortable feeling shuttle riding can sometimes bring. So squeeze in and move back with a smile. Accept claustrophobia as the norm and make shuttle riding a happier part of your college experience.
Mikaylie is a junior majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to mikayliek@cc.usu.edu.