IMAGINE you are sitting in thepassenger seat of a car in heavytraffic next to an intimidating middle-aged man you have never met. The car smells, the conversation is awkward and worst of all, you had to spend over 20 bucks for the experience. If you are an out-of-state or international student, you probably know what I am describing: the cab ride to the airport before break.
While upperclassmen have more options for getting around, local taxi services are practically the only way for first years to get to the airport. The University should solve this problem by providing a shuttle service for students who need to get to and from the Charlottesville airport on days at the beginning and end of breaks during the school year, as was recently suggested by First Year Council, and creating affordable services on an individual basis at other times.
While it is true that this issue affects only a minority of students at the University, nonetheless many of the University's out-of-state students simply have no choice but to fly if they wish to go home. It is not economical in terms of both money and time for many of out-of-state students to drive home for a one-week break, and those students who do not have a car in Charlottesville -- almost all first years -- would not be able to do so even if they wanted. In addition, many international students are also forced to use the airport on a regular basis. University Transit Service should make it a priority to create a shuttle program for these students.
The shuttle could run during the last day of classes before breaks and, if possible, during the following morning. Students could reserve a place on the shuttle in advance at the bookstore to ensure that ample space is provided so that anyone wanting to take advantage of the service could do so. The number of shuttles provided could be determined based on how many students reserve a place, but they should be provided at varying times in the day to accommodate different class schedules and flight times.
Of course, the cost of all this must be considered. Even if UTS uses its own buses, the extra gas and drivers will not be free. This cost could be offset by charging a small fee to users. Even a 10-dollar fee would be minimal compared to the sometimes outrageous cab fares. Without charging anything, it is still silly for anyone to claim that such shuttles would be too expensive for an organization that currently provides several options to help -- ahem -- celebrating students find their way back from Rugby Road on the weekends. Certainly providing transportation to the airport for students who need to get there to go home is an equally important service.
According to First Year Council member Xiao Wang, UTS and FYC are currently attempting to create a trial run for this program either at the end of the school year or in the fall. If it is to be successful, students must be informed about it and must take advantage of it during the trial run. For this reason, I would encourage any student who thinks he or she would ever have a reason to use the service to use it during the trial period.
With this idea in mind, UTS and FYC should wait until Thanksgiving to make a final decision on the program. While offering a shuttle at the end of the semester would be useful for many students, many other students who would normally fly home for shorter breaks have to find a way to move a large volume of belongings for the longer break, and so they find other ways home.
In addition, Rebecca White of Parking and Transportation Services points out that Thanksgiving and Spring Break have a more distinct timeframe for departures than the ends of semesters. Thus, the demand for the shuttle service in May would not be representative of the demand before and after shorter breaks that occur during the academic year.
UTS should make providing airport transportation a priority. White was quick to point out that similar services have been offered in the past to groups at the University and that her department was willing to work with FYC to offer them again. In order for this to happen, students who would benefit from such services must let UTS know that the issue affects a large group of people by talking to Student Council representatives and taking advantage of the services as soon as they are offered.
Daniel Colbert is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.
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