Sylvia Bradshaw
Staff Writer
Parking in University of Houston lots can be as difficult as finding the "cash-only" line in the campus bookstore at the beginning of the semester.
The question many students ask is how to get to class in 15 minutes when they have to park 25 minutes away?
The transportation department's answer is the UH Shuttle Service. The official statement printed in the student brochure states that UH adopted the parking and traffic program to maintain an orderly traffic flow and accessible parking.
"Your personal safety, the recognition of others' needs, campus appearance and applicable laws were prime considerations in the formulation of these regulations," the Parking Rules & Regulations booklet reads.
Most sources agree that, in theory, the shuttle is a good idea. However, the inconsistency in the evening schedule has stirred many complaints. Several students said the present shuttle service is not adequately meeting their "personal safety" needs.
Students living in the Cambridge Oaks Apartments complain that they often wait in excess of 40 minutes for the shuttle buses following evening classes.
Cambridge Oaks, located at the southwest corner of campus, provides housing primarily for married, graduate and professional students. For those who work during the day and take the majority of their classes at night, the shuttle is very important. Sonal Patel, junior journalism student, uses the shuttle on a daily basis.
"I like the shuttle because it's free, and normally it's dependable," Patel said. "But at night I have to wait more than 30 minutes, and that's a real problem, not just for me but for a lot of us here at Cambridge."
One graduate student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that after living in Cambridge for three years the long wait for the evening shuttle hasn't improved.
"We've filled out surveys and voiced our complaints; still nothing has been done to improve the evening service. Most nights we wait more than 40 minutes for a shuttle, and many students just walk because they don't know when the shuttle will show up," the source said.
The shuttle has three routes that serve economy and outlying lots on Cullen, Calhoun and Elgin. Operating hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. Round trips should take 15-20 minutes, according to transportation officials. During the peak period, described as 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., the PGH Route 1 gets an additional bus to reduce the time to 6-10 minutes per round trip.
Richie Brown, department of transportation supervisor, said he has received complaints in the past about the shuttle service in the evenings.
Brown said he forwards formal complaints to the Texas Bus Lines, an outside firm contracted to run the shuttle service.
Brown said that the shuttle service has a daily ridership of 2,000 serving parking areas and campus housing.
While the shuttle can serve as "a constant, visible deterrent to crime by running continuously" around campus, its primary function is to bring students from outlying parking lots to the inner campus, Brown said.
"The drop offs at the dorms and athletics building were added last year in response to students' requests to make the shuttle more accessible to their on-campus needs."
Funding for the shuttle services comes directly from parking revenues, according to Ron Miller, director of procurement and administrative services.
"Everyone that purchases a permit, permanent or temporary, to use the parking facilities contributes to the shuttle funding - students, faculty and visitors."
Students still wonder why, if there is less traffic in the evening, it takes longer to get service on the shuttle. One reason is fewer shuttle buses. After 3 p.m. routes are combined and only one shuttle makes the rounds to all the outlying parking and campus stops.
However, according to transportation and police officials, the average round trip should not take more than 20 minutes during the evening hours.
Brown advised students who have problems with the shuttle service to write formal complaints to parking and transportation.