The air conditioning in the UTRGV Vaquero Express has broken down many times this semester, giving students a hot bus ride experience.
UTRGV officials say the university will no longer use buses with broken air conditioning to shuttle students between campuses.
“For our transportation services, we will not be using any vehicles that do not have any AC in service,” said Maribel Contreras, director of Parking and Transportation Services.
On Oct. 8, students were informed that the air conditioning on a bus from Brownsville to Edinburg was broken and that a vehicle replacement would be provided.
Some students chose to board the bus despite the issue.
“I know that there was a All Valley Charters bus that they had reported that the AC was not working from the Harlingen Soccer Complex to the Brownsville campus,” Contreras said. “When the vehicle arrived at the Brownsville campus, at that time, of course, the driver had already informed All Valley Charters that the AC was not working, so they were going to replace the vehicle.
“When the vehicle got there, they tried to supervise and inform students, staff and faculty that there was gonna be another vehicle to replace it, but then some other students wanted to board that vehicle from Brownsville to Edinburg, and we mentioned to them that the AC was not working and that there was another vehicle that was gonna be coming to replace it. So, for our transportation services, we will not be using any vehicles that do not have any AC in service.”
A Rider newspaper reporter noticed the air conditioner in the UTRGV Vaquero Express was broken on two occasions while commuting between campuses.
Ian Loera, a customer service assistant for Parking and Transportation Services, said frequent use of the buses causes the AC to break down.
Loera said buses with broken AC are taken out of the bus lineup, replaced by working buses and then fixed by an on-site mechanic.
“We try our best to, like … make sure the students are comfortable,” he said. “… It’s just more of a mechanic issue.”
Biology senior Alyssa Salas said, in her experience, the AC tends to be broken on the shuttles she takes from Edinburg to Brownsville.
“It’s super hot because usually the shuttles are super packed, like, to the brim,” Salas said.
She hopes UTRGV will do something to solve the problem.
“I wish they had more buses so, like, they don’t have to fill them, like, every seat,” Salas said. “I think that’s what makes it so hot later in the day.”
