On Feb. 8, residents of EMU’s campus received an email asking for responses on a survey about a student shuttle service. As a college student, there are many reasons one would need transportation, whether it’s a doctor’s visit, or simply needing to pick up groceries. Getting around Harrisonburg safely is a priority, and without personal access to a car, that can be challenging. A shuttle service would allow students access to rides around the city safely and without extra hassle.
Currently, EMU allows any student the ability to bring a car on campus and provides access to a parking permit for $30/semester. In the past, only junior and senior students were allowed a car on campus, so while the current policy allows students more access, the broader need of transportation is still being unaddressed.
This need became apparent to senior Claire LeBlond through casual conversations with friends around campus. LeBlond noticed a pattern of students needing access to transportation and not knowing where to turn. “We were coming back from a field trip, and a student in the van was mentioning how they didn’t have a car and couldn’t get to an appointment. I was kind of musing over this, and thinking about the idea of a shuttle service.”
LeBlond shared that her last campus, which was twice the size of EMU, had a successful shuttle service that also acted as a work-study position for students. Encouraged by her supervisor, LeBlond decided to advocate for something similar on EMU’s campus. “For a while, people have relied on knowing people with cars. The fact that you can bring a car is clearly not enough anymore. There needs to be a system in place.”
The survey is just the first step in this proposed project;the survey will gauge the need on campus. Within about a week of the survey first being sent out, there has been a 30% response rate. Considering that a 20% response rate on campus surveys is seen as successful, the responses show that this is an issue felt by many students.
There are a few ideas of what the shuttle service could look like. The first idea is something EMU-run, using the vans already owned by the school. Another proposed idea is taxi vouchers, where local taxi companies could partner with the school to allow students a limited number of trips around the city. The last idea would be something more student-run, where students would give other students rides in their own vehicles, arranged through a GroupMe chat, or something similar. All of these ideas come with their own risks, whether it be cost, safety, or insurance concerns.
Moving forward, LeBlond will be thinking about financial next steps, with the hope of understanding the budget needed for a project like this and looking for grant possibilities. She also mentioned how this project could potentially allow a new opportunity for work-study positions, which she also will be looking into.The survey is still available for those who have not taken it at: https://forms.gle/ZiW34jxkYugpmB91A Students can email claire.leblond@emu.edu with any questions.
