A white minibus with the DePauw University logo left the Union Building at noon Feb. 24 with 27 students. The bus arrived at the Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis and twelve hours later the shuttle returned to campus.
This was the third time during this academic year that the Campus Life office operated an Indianapolis Shuttle service, free of charge.
Junior Meghan Sink, intern for the Campus Life office, said 50 people signed up. While nearly half of them didn’t show up, 27 out of the 29 seats on the bus were filled, including students who did not sign up. “That’s a huge attendance jump from what we had last semester,” Sink said.
“It was the first time I actually looked around Indy,” said first-year Kevin Bautista from Chicago. Bautista usually carpools with his family or friends when going on trips, but he enjoyed exploring Indianapolis this time. He particularly enjoyed the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. “Once we get to the top,” Bautista said about taking the hundreds of staircases, “the view was beautiful.” Although he thought the 11 p.m. return time was late, especially because some shops were closed while it was raining, he was satisfied with the experience.
The shuttle service has also catered to International students. First-year Nemekhbayar Nergui, from Mongolia, and her friends were craving Korean food. After visiting a restaurant, they went shopping in downtown at Saraga International Grocery. “I usually try to have fun on weekend,” Nergui said, “but I don't have a car and I can't drive. I think this is a great opportunity for students who do not have cars on campus… I would suggest to the Campus Life offering more than one bus.” She also heard some students wanted another shuttle to Bloomington.
For years, owning a car has been essential for local residents and DePauw students who want to get out of town. However, not everyone has access to a car on campus.
“Getting out of Greencastle is nearly impossible for people without cars,” senior Armaan Patel, vice president of DePauw Student Government (DSG) said. According to Patel, DSG started advocating the free transportation after they heard multiple complaints regarding the cost of calling a taxi, especially from the international student community. It soon became a major point of discussions between DSG and administrators, including President Mark McCoy, to implement solutions.
“This service is something that has been provided in past years that we are bringing back,” Sink said. In collaboration with DSG, the Campus Life office relaunched the free shuttle last September, arranging the schedules and budgets. “One of the goals for the campus life is to create events on campus for students to make DePauw an enjoyable experience.”
Last month, Public Safety began working on a similar project for local public transit. The Greencastle Shuttle Program provides free round-trip transport services, utilizing the Safe Ride van and its student drivers. The free shuttles transport students from the Union Building to Walmart and Kroger Tuesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
