Going out downtown on Saturday nights just got a bit easier for University of Illinois Springfield students with the return of a free shuttle bus to and from campus.
The service, sponsored by the UIS Student Government Association, will begin Sept. 7 and run nonstop between the UIS Student Union and downtown every Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.The plan is to have the shuttle run through mid-November, ending just before Thanksgiving.
“We have other transportation in order right now ... but we didn’t have transportation for students to go downtown on the weekend,”Ben Paoletti said. “So there was an apparent need for this. And what I saw often was that students would go downtown and would have to pay for Uber or Lyft or, even worse, they would drink and drive.”
“So, as president SGA, I saw that there was a need for there to be a shuttle for students, free of charge, so that they could go downtown, they could enjoy downtown, but also be able to get there back and forth safely,” he said.
The 16-person shuttle, provided by Springfield-based Gracious Cab Company, will cost the student association about $1,500 for the semester, Paoletti said.
As a pilot program, the shuttle is only guaranteed through this semester, with the student organization seeking sponsorships from downtown bars and restaurants to ensure that it continues beyond.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 30, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
Showing posts with label Transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transportation. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Monday, May 8, 2017
Downtown shuttle for UIS students wraps up first semester
Robert Ewa sat in the parking lot of University of Illinois Springfield’s recreation center Friday night with the lights of his 16-passenger van flashing, waiting to shuttle college students looking to experience Springfield’s nightlife to downtown and back.
“Some weekends, it’s crazy,” said Ewa, with more than a dozen students lining up for a ride each hour. “And then some weekends, maybe there’s other events, I carry only three (passengers).”
This past weekend marked the end of the semester-long test run for the free service that ran every hour between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
UIS Student Government Association, several bars and Downtown Springfield Inc. sponsored the shuttle. Student government members said it went well and the incoming president is considering continuing the service in the fall.
Meanwhile, a couple of bar owners say they’d be on board to support the shuttle next semester as well. “This was more of test phase to see if students would be interested in it, and we found they are,” said outgoing student government president Austin Mehmet, who worked with downtown establishments and DSI to set up the service.
Knowing the shuttle is there for students to use was one hurdle in its first semester. Ewa said some passengers found out about the service from others who had used it.
The student government association put $3,000 of its $10,000 budget toward the shuttle, according to Mehmet. It’s up to the incoming government to decide whether to allocate the same chunk next semester. Garrett Nimmo, the incoming student president, said he’d be open to funding it again if students are interested, but he’s also heard about another transportation need on campus.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 7, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
This past weekend marked the end of the semester-long test run for the free service that ran every hour between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
UIS Student Government Association, several bars and Downtown Springfield Inc. sponsored the shuttle. Student government members said it went well and the incoming president is considering continuing the service in the fall.
Meanwhile, a couple of bar owners say they’d be on board to support the shuttle next semester as well. “This was more of test phase to see if students would be interested in it, and we found they are,” said outgoing student government president Austin Mehmet, who worked with downtown establishments and DSI to set up the service.
Knowing the shuttle is there for students to use was one hurdle in its first semester. Ewa said some passengers found out about the service from others who had used it.
The student government association put $3,000 of its $10,000 budget toward the shuttle, according to Mehmet. It’s up to the incoming government to decide whether to allocate the same chunk next semester. Garrett Nimmo, the incoming student president, said he’d be open to funding it again if students are interested, but he’s also heard about another transportation need on campus.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 7, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Nightime SMTD bus users get one-hour reprieve
University of Illinois Springfield students swayed the minds of Springfield Mass Transit District officials to reduce night service bus routes by one hour instead of two.
Reducing Monday-through-Friday night service by two hours was one of a series of cost-saving measures SMTD had proposed in October in response to payment delays from the state. The transit district also proposed eliminating Saturday night bus service and a night service route to Springfield’s west side.
Trustees on Monday unanimously approved all three reductions, which would take effect Jan. 8.
“I am confident we have done our due diligence and analyzed every angle to make sure the damage is as minimal as possible,” trustee Wynne Coplea said.
Steve Schoeffel, SMTD’s service planning and marketing specialist, said dozens of UIS students expressed concerns at a public hearing on campus Nov. 16 about ending service at 9:45 p.m. instead of 11:45 p.m.
Based on the feedback, Schoeffel said, the district amended its proposal to one hour earlier, or 10:45 p.m., to minimize the hardship for most students who rely on the bus to get home. “The route the kids take the most will still be there,” he said.
Board chairman Brian Brewer said Monday he was happy to get so much feedback from riders. According to Schoffel, 60 people, primarily UIS students, commented at two public hearings.
The original proposed cuts were expected to save about $240,490 annually, primarily in overtime costs.
Updated figures of how much the one-hour rollback will save weren’t available Monday.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 28, 2016.
Read the entire article online.
Reducing Monday-through-Friday night service by two hours was one of a series of cost-saving measures SMTD had proposed in October in response to payment delays from the state. The transit district also proposed eliminating Saturday night bus service and a night service route to Springfield’s west side.
Trustees on Monday unanimously approved all three reductions, which would take effect Jan. 8.
“I am confident we have done our due diligence and analyzed every angle to make sure the damage is as minimal as possible,” trustee Wynne Coplea said.
Steve Schoeffel, SMTD’s service planning and marketing specialist, said dozens of UIS students expressed concerns at a public hearing on campus Nov. 16 about ending service at 9:45 p.m. instead of 11:45 p.m.
Based on the feedback, Schoeffel said, the district amended its proposal to one hour earlier, or 10:45 p.m., to minimize the hardship for most students who rely on the bus to get home. “The route the kids take the most will still be there,” he said.
Board chairman Brian Brewer said Monday he was happy to get so much feedback from riders. According to Schoffel, 60 people, primarily UIS students, commented at two public hearings.
The original proposed cuts were expected to save about $240,490 annually, primarily in overtime costs.
Updated figures of how much the one-hour rollback will save weren’t available Monday.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 28, 2016.
Read the entire article online.
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