Bring Reason to the Shuttle UM debate

The Department of Transportation Services is exploring a measure that would open Shuttle-UM to the non-student public. The City of College Park has proposed spending $4000-$5000 a semester to compensate the University for the additional ridership. Many students have expressed deep concern about the public safety ramifications of this project, yet we feel that these anxieties are largely unfounded given the facts at hand.









(1) Shuttle UM rarely, if ever, checks student IDs (2) Shuttle UM resources are often wasted in the form of empty seats (3) The Universitys resources far outstrip those of the city and sharing these resources should be explored to the fullest (4) All parties involved would mutually benefit from a reduction in traffic during peak hours and any possible duplication of bus routes (5) City residents will make up a small fraction of shuttle ridership if they arent already riding it anyway.









As the city stands on the brink of a massive redevelopment campaign, there has never been a more crucial time for better University-community relations, increased lines of communication, and collaboration. We support a semester long trial of this measure and believe vigorous student participation is central to this any similar future project.