UB students will no longer have to find a source of transportation to the airport this upcoming holiday break.
As part of Student Association President Sam McMahon's plan of utilizing the student activity fee, students will now have the option to receive a free ride to the airport for their Thanksgiving travels.
Starting Oct. 23, students were able to pick up tickets from the Sub Board I (SBI) ticket office on the second floor of the Student Union for the shuttle.
Tickets are administered on a first come, first serve basis. Although there were 946 spots, as of last Friday, 220 of them have filled up. Students must present a UB ID when riding the bus.
Student Life is also involved in helping out with the holiday bus shuttle service.
Director of Student Life Tom Tiberi said it was an easy decision to support SA's plan because of how it benefitted students.
"A lot of students do take flights either home or somewhere else over break and to provide students with a shuttle service is a great idea," Tiberi said.
Student Life will be providing a baggage-holding service for any students attending an early class who want to take advantage of a later shuttle.
Students can store their bags on the first floor of SU anytime on Friday, Nov. 22, and Tuesday, Nov. 26, between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Haider Tawakali, a freshman exercise science major, believes it's a great use of the mandatory student activity fee. He said it is a great alternative for students who might not have enough money to spend on transportation.
"SA is really looking out for the students. I really like that they did that," Tawakali said. "I'm not using it, but my friends are. It's a really good convenience for them because they are already broke and going through however many weeks of college."
Each shuttle seats 43 students who are allowed to bring two bags. The buses meet at the Lee Loop in front of SU.
The total cost for the shuttle service came to $2,700, which was a little bit more than anticipated for Thanksgiving break, McMahon said.
But with the money left over from early events, McMahon decided to "empty it" back into SA's "activities and general events line." After obtaining a firm quote for the service, McMahon and the professional staff structured the shuttle times around when most of the flights were departing and arriving.
McMahon also said if a student was to arrive at the airport and find out his or her flight was canceled or delayed, the shuttle service would bring that person back to campus until the next flight.
For now, the shuttle service will provide students transportation to the airport but SA has entertained the thought of possibly transporting students to the Amtrak station.
"We had our schedule kind of set in stone. The email had already gone out," McMahon said. "[Maybe] it will be something that we do for Christmas [break]. It's a lot easier to plan for because the train only leaves a few times a day. That's something we might try to do for winter break."
This is a trial run for the plan, but McMahon hopes this will be something that can be used in the future.
He also said the SBI tickets office will be open until next Tuesday and students can get a ticket up until an hour before the shuttle leaves.
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