As Syracuse plunged into another deep freeze complete with snow, wind and bitter cold, students waiting for a ride to campus Tuesday morning at Manley Field House or on Small Road watched helplessly as full buses passed them by.

During the last couple weeks, Syracuse University Parking and Transit Services has been trying to remedy that problem.

In an email sent out to South Campus residents, Brian Hopkins, residence director for South Campus apartments, told students that Parking and Transit Services went out during some of the busier morning travel times to observe bus shelters and see if there were long wait times for students at specific stops.

He said they observed problems on Small Road at around 10:30 a.m. As a result, two new buses were added to the schedule for that particular time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Scot Vanderpool, manager for Parking and Transit Services, said he observed bus shelters along with two other associates.

Vanderpool said they also added a bus to cover Small Road on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:20 a.m., as well as two buses for 12:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Small.

He said the goal is to accommodate students and specifically to eliminate their wait time at bus shelters, he added.

“It’s really about how long a student has to stand there,” Vanderpool said. “We feel that 10 minutes is too long and we know that a wait of 10 minutes or longer has been a reality.”

Vanderpool added that there is someone monitoring some portion of South Campus at least once a day for the first month of the semester.

Kelley Shepard, a sophomore with an undeclared major, said he lives near one of the first bus stops on the way to main campus, but feels that there is a need for additional buses.

“I’ve been on the bus a bunch when it drives past people on the last few stops going to class, but it’s been so cold lately — I think more buses would be good to fix that,” Shepard said.

But bringing in more buses involves costs for the additional vehicle and driver, Vanderpool said. He said the cost depends on where the bus is being brought out of — it could come from the garage just for the new time slot, or from another location, such as an area high school.

He said in the case of the new buses, one is a stand-alone bus and the rest are coming from other routes.

Vanderpool said Parking and Transit Services will continue monitoring bus shelters, adding that for now the department is working on the crowds that form at College Place at 5 p.m.

In the meantime, he said he wants to be sure no issues go unnoticed.

“Most of the changes we have made have been the result of our own observations,” Vanderpool said. “Since there are so many times and areas to watch, I worry that there’s an area that needs adjusting and we encourage students to call us or email us.”

Published on January 29, 2014 at 2:32 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27