RHA recommends moving route’s hours

The Residence Hall Association unanimously voted to push back the Saturday operating hours of a Shuttle-UM bus that makes stops at Prince George's Plaza, Comcast Center and Stamp Student Union after receiving several student complaints that the bus did not run late enough.

The 113 bus currently operates from noon to 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays, but many students said the bus's limiting hours kept them from safely staying out late on the weekends. RHA members recommended moving the bus's hours back three hours — beginning next semester — so that it would run from 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon to 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning. All of the stops on the route would remain the same, according to the legislation.

"What [the Transportation Advisory Committee] became aware of was that many students felt that the Saturday service is not sufficient enough to allow for shopping and general college fun that we all love to do," said Omer Kaufman, the committee's chairman and sophomore government and politics and history major.

While the resolution passed with little debate, RHA members said the change was critical in ensuring student safety on the weekends.

"This is definitely a needed change, especially when it comes to safety," said RHA President Corie Stretton, who said she used to take this bus often to the movie theaters. "It's been brought to our attention that a lot of students were feeling unsafe at those hours, with no way to get back to campus unless they had the number for a taxi. This makes it so students can have a safe and secure way home."

Although members debated simply extending the bus's hours rather than moving them back, students would be likely be faced with a higher transportation fee, Kaufman said.

Department of Transportation Services Director David Allen said since the RHA threw its support behind the initiative, DOTS will likely make the change. The change will not cost the department additional money, Kaufman said.

"Now that the RHA passed the resolution, we are going to make the schedule for next semester," Allen said. "At this point, it will probably happen, though I can't say it definitely will."

Some students who often ride the 113 bus said the new operating hours will be a welcome and more convenient change.

"I think it's a fair change on Saturdays; it would allow students to stay out later at the mall or the movies," said graduate business student Karan Arora. "And I think it's better that it starts at three because most students don't wake up until later."

Student leaders said they do not plan to stop at just changing the bus's Saturday hours. Several members entertained the idea of changing the operating hours from the rest of the week — the bus operates from 7 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. Monday through Friday — but that the issue would require additional research.

Although many bus riders commended the RHA for voting to push back Saturday hours, they hope to see the RHA push for later operating hours on the weekdays as well.

"The purpose of the bus is to get people to and from campus," said senior accounting and marketing major Victoria Popoola. "I wish it could stay on campus later on weekdays [so I could] study, but I can't because the last bus comes at 10."

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