Ever since UT Pan American and UT Brownsville merged, one of the main issues has been commuting from one campus to another. Several students have complained about how hard it is to get a shuttle seat to get to class on time.
However, it seems like things are going to change this semester for those who are looking to ride the shuttles. With two new shuttles, the fleet totals 13.
“We increased our capacity by about 70 percent, so that should be able to handle the demand,” said Rodney Gomez, UTRGV director of Parking and Transportation Services. “We have gotten two large shuttle buses, like the huge ones we use to go to Houston and Dallas, and those are 56-seaters.”
In addition, a new departure time has been added for both campuses at 12:15 p.m.
“[The schedule] is the official one, but of course, we will see how it’s working and if they need a different schedule, we can take a look at that depending on how many, but for now that is the schedule that we expect for the fall,” Gomez said.
UTRGV Parking and Transportation Services expects to receive five more shuttles in November.
“Those will be brand-new. … [They] will be 40-seaters [each],” Gomez said. “We’ll have enough capacity for spring as well.”
Asked when the shuttles are most used, Gomez replied it varies depending on the semester.
“We don’t know how it’s going to be in the fall, but in the spring, the busiest were 7:30 a.m. and then 9 a.m., and then in the afternoon, 1:30 and 3 o’clock,” he said.
Gomez recommends students get to the shuttle pickup as early as possible in order to grab a seat of their choice.
“We also have a Twitter account where we post updates,” Gomez said. “They should follow our Twitter account to make sure that if there’s any update or the bus is running late, we’ll send a tweet out, so they know what’s going on.”
The official Twitter for Parking and Transportation Services is @utrgv_pts.
Gomez said the department is looking to hire student drivers.
“If anyone is interested in that, they can go to the Career Connection online and we have a position open for student drivers,” he said. “We’ll be happy to look at students.”
The director said even if students don’t have the special license and training for bus driving, the department trains and helps them earn the license.
“We help students out,” Gomez said. “We’ve already done that.”
Students said they like the convenience of the shuttle, because they can focus on doing other things while commuting.
“I like the convenience of the shuttle because I can read instead of having to focus on driving,” said biology senior Javier Parra.
However, even though he likes the shuttle, Parra said he would also change a few things to make it more suitable for students.
“What I would change are the seats and capacity,” he said. “The seats are not comfortable, and the shuttles can fill up fast, leaving students behind. I would appreciate if the driver would wait a minute for a student that is running towards the shuttle. I understand that they have to stay on schedule, but so do we, and if we miss the shuttle, we are stuck there for an hour and a half.”
For more information about the shuttles, visit http://www.utrgv.edu/en-us/student-experience/parking/transportation/index.htm.
