24-hour busing begins

 
            Gone are the days of running down Main Street to catch the last UB Stampede bus at 2 a.m.

 
            Beginning Wednesday, buses will run between North and South Campus 24 hours a day thanks to the Student Association and some important partners.

 
            'This was part of our platform when we ran last year and we're very excited that it's now a reality,' said acting SA President Ernesto Alvarado. 'The response and the support from the university has been fantastic.'

 
            Buses will run from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., bridging the gap in the UB Stampede's regular service.

 
            Alvarado said that one additional bus will run Monday through Thursday and there will be two buses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. These buses will run from Flint Loop on North Campus and the Main Street Loop on South Campus.

 
            'Safety was always our goal before we even started looking into this,' Alvarado said. 'We wanted to make sure that with a 24-hour bus service, students were still able to get home safely.'

 
            SA Treasurer Jordan Fried said that safety was always a contingency in the 24-hour busing plan.

 
            'We're very pleased with the two groups on campus who have come forward to make the 24-hour busing work and to ensure it's safe,' Fried said.

 
            SA teamed up with the Graduate Student Association and Sub-Board I, Inc. to create the means and funds to ensure that every student gets home safely.

 
            GSA donated funds to supplement the money that SA put into the program, while SBI has agreed to extend their Anti-Rape Task Force van to take students from the South Campus bus stop to their homes in the University Heights.

 
            'We want students to have the freedom to stay out as late as they want or study as late as they want and still be able to sleep in their own beds,' Fried said.

 
            Alvarado and Fried said that the 24-hour busing will only run for the remainder of the semester as a trial period, but after SA collects student opinions and data of bus usage, they will present the information to the university.

 
            'We have been assured that if the numbers look good and if it turns out to be a cost-effective service then the university will continue it,' Alvarado said.

 
            SA originally wanted to make the South Campus library open 24 hours, along with the busing, but after speaking to library staff they determined it was not feasible.

 
            'We tried,' Fried said. 'But it just didn't work. But we do think the busing will be a major asset to the student body. If the libraries are open 24 hours, then the buses should be, too.'

 
            Alvarado said that due to careful budgeting and planning, no SA activities would be cut to finance the 24-hour buses for the rest of the semester. He hopes that students will show UB their support for this service by utilizing it.

 
            'The best thing students can do to make this trial run a permanent reality is to use it,' Alvarado said.

 
 

 
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com