Beginning next fall, UCSD students, faculty and staff will have greater access to bus services in the San Diego area.

UCSD is working with the regional Metropolitan Transit System increase the frequency and service areas of the buses MTS provides for the community, according to Greg Snee, director of planning and analysis at the campus’ Transportation and Parking Services.

To work in conjunction with these transit-service improvements, UCSD will expand the range of the free campus bus pass zone to include a larger regional area than previously served, including the entire length of MTS route 41, which connects UCSD and Fashion Valley, Snee said.

Surveys completed last quarter by T&PS reported that approximately 1,300 students, staff and faculty utilize the MTS and County Transit District to enter UCSD each day.

No major changes are anticipated for the on-campus shuttle system in the fall, Snee said.

While the improvements to MTS services will benefit students, many prefer the services of UCSD’s Cityshuttle, and say that MTS buses are often inconvenient and run behind schedule.

“For the most part, I’ve had a positive experience with the Cityshuttles,” Thurgood Marshall College sophomore Allison Rhodes said. “They’re definitely more reliable than the buses … [which] take too long to get anywhere and they’re always late.”

Though many students agree that the UCSD shuttles are more dependable and convenient than the MTS buses, others point out that there is still room for improvement.

“Sometimes I’ll be at the shuttle stop on Tuesday and Thursday nights around 9 p.m. and I’ll have to wait 30 minutes for the shuttle,” Revelle College sophomore Evan Greene said. “It’s kind of ridiculous.”

Snee said that the delay is due to the use of smaller, quieter shuttles that run less frequently at night, even though it often causes long waits.

“UCSD reduced the size of the vehicles on the Cityshuttle service this year in the evening hours to respond to decreased passenger demand in the late evening hours,” Snee said. “These smaller vehicles also utilize alternative fuels and provide a more quiet vehicle alternative within the community.”

More details about expanded MTS services will be available on the T&PS Web site this month, Snee said.

Readers can contact Erika Cervantes at [email protected] Erika Cervantes

Staff Writer

Beginning next fall, UCSD students, faculty and staff will have greater access to bus services in the San Diego area.

UCSD is working with the regional Metropolitan Transit System increase the frequency and service areas of the buses MTS provides for the community, according to Greg Snee, director of planning and analysis at the campus’ Transportation and Parking Services.

To work in conjunction with these transit-service improvements, UCSD will expand the range of the free campus bus pass zone to include a larger regional area than previously served, including the entire length of MTS route 41, which connects UCSD and Fashion Valley, Snee said.

Surveys completed last quarter by T&PS reported that approximately 1,300 students, staff and faculty utilize the MTS and County Transit District to enter UCSD each day.

No major changes are anticipated for the on-campus shuttle system in the fall, Snee said.

While the improvements to MTS services will benefit students, many prefer the services of UCSD’s Cityshuttle, and say that MTS buses are often inconvenient and run behind schedule.

“For the most part, I’ve had a positive experience with the Cityshuttles,” Thurgood Marshall College sophomore Allison Rhodes said. “They’re definitely more reliable than the buses … [which] take too long to get anywhere and they’re always late.”

Though many students agree that the UCSD shuttles are more dependable and convenient than the MTS buses, others point out that there is still room for improvement.

“Sometimes I’ll be at the shuttle stop on Tuesday and Thursday nights around 9 p.m. and I’ll have to wait 30 minutes for the shuttle,” Revelle College sophomore Evan Greene said. “It’s kind of ridiculous.”

Snee said that the delay is due to the use of smaller, quieter shuttles that run less frequently at night, even though it often causes long waits.

“UCSD reduced the size of the vehicles on the Cityshuttle service this year in the evening hours to respond to decreased passenger demand in the late evening hours,” Snee said. “These smaller vehicles also utilize alternative fuels and provide a more quiet vehicle alternative within the community.”

More details about expanded MTS services will be available on the T&PS Web site this month, Snee said.