The Billiken Weekend Shuttle keeps on truckin’ into its third month of service, with as many students as ever using the service.
Lisa Phifer, one of the eight Barnes and Noble Scholars who had the idea for the shuttle last year, said that the shuttle is often packed, with each of the 20 to 30 seats being taken, mostly by freshmen.
There have been, however, a few complaints by students who use the service. One of the complaints included a driver who did not know where she was going and passed up the Schnucks store. The shuttle has also been late on occasion, Phifer said.
A survey is currently in the works, Phifer said, to evaluate the shuttle’s usage, find out if the hours are useful and determine if the routes are effective.
The survey will be distributed to various University groups and possibly at the shuttle stops. It should be ready in the next few weeks, Phifer said.
The shuttle currently runs every hour from noon to midnight, and every half hour from 2:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with stops at Griesedieck Hall, Reinert Hall, Laclede Avenue and Spring Avenue, Laclede and Vandeventer Avenue, Schnucks/Esquire Theater, Tropicana Lanes, the Galleria, Brentwood Square, Target Greatland, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sports Authority and World Market.
“The shuttle isn’t as busy at night, which is something we are going to address,” Phifer said.
Junior Blanca Campos and her roommate, Ann Padberg, regularly use the shuttle, since neither own cars.
“It’s very helpful,” Campos said. “We’re both from out-of-town, and there is no way to get to the mall or the grocery store.”
She added that the shuttle is almost always on time and that the service is an excellent idea. There are usually six or seven people using the shuttle on the way there and about 12 to 15 people on the way back, Campos said.
The only complaint Campos had about the service was that the grocery store should be the last stop.