Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to correct the misspelling of CSULB Alternative Transportation Coordinator Elissa Thomas’s name.
The shuttle services may not be a group of young British boys with charming smiles, but they have all started to go in one direction around campus.
In an effort to save money and time, Cal State Long Beach Shuttle Services now consists of three all-campus tripper shuttles that travel clockwise around campus, CSULB Alternative Transportation Coordinator Elissa Thomas said.
The shuttles stop 14 times at popular campus locations like Brotman Hall, the Walter Pyramid and the Art Annex. According to Thomas, this schedule replaces the old route that consisted of two west shuttles and two east shuttles. One of the shuttles was cut from service.
“One of the benefits of the all-campus tripper is that it better serves the entire campus,” Thomas said. “Regardless of where you find a parking space, you can park anywhere on this campus, and the shuttle will take you anywhere on the campus.”
Thomas said that previously, if a student parked on the west side of campus but had a class on the east side, they would have to change shuttles to get there, which was less efficient. The same was true traveling from east to west.
The three shuttles now all travel along the same route, dropping students off on the same side of the street.
Thomas said that this schedule should not only allow for easier transportation, but safer travel. When students used to take the west route, they would be dropped off on the side of the street opposite to the school, which meant they would have to cross the road before entering CSULB again.
Those same students will now always find themselves on campus the moment they step off the shuttle.
There are mixed opinions on whether these changes will actually help students get to their destination.
Dontay Carter, an African studies major, said he’s concerned that cutting back one shuttle will lead to longer travel times to get to class.
“Just yesterday, I was on a shuttle that broke down,” Carter said. “There was little air conditioning, and we had to wait for another one and another driver. To cut back any … shuttles than what we already had is already an inconvenience.”
Thomas said that Parking and Transportation Services eliminated one shuttle from the schedule to save money, but she still believes that the new route will better serve students.
Rachel Keefer, a health science major, said she would be willing to take any shuttle as long as its reliable.
“To find a parking spot, I usually park super far behind the [Student Recreation and Wellness Center],” Keefer said. “If a shuttle can get me up there, I’d prefer that to sweating a lot.”
Students can use www.csulbshuttle.com to see a live map that tracks exactly where the shuttles are and how many seats they have open.