Editor’s Note: While this article was intended to be a neutral news report, The Stute failed to reach out to Stevens administration to allow them to comment on the shuttle service. The following is not a comprehensive look at the system and should be treated by readers as such.
When students returned to campus on January 31, the new Stevens shuttle service became available for use. The new service is powered by Via Transportation, a company that licenses its services to cities, universities, private organizations, and more to help build technology-driven transportation networks. The shuttle picks students up from certain locations of their choosing to campus and vice versa. To ride the shuttle, students book their rides through the Stevens Shuttle app.
The shuttle consists of daytime and nighttime service. The daytime service offers rides between four different sites on campus—Babbio Center, 9th Street Main Gate, Howe Center, and Griffith Building—to the Hoboken Terminal, 9th St. Light Rail Station, and Hoboken University Medical Center. The hours of operation for shuttles are 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sundays. The nighttime service operates all days of the week from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. and provides rides between campus and anywhere in the zone that is displayed on the map.
In an interview with The Stute, Commuter Student Union members Mihika Shah and Christopher Engelbart discussed their experiences with the Stevens Shuttle service thus far. Shah explained she has used the shuttle 4-5 times now, and both Shah and Engelbart use it when coming to campus from Hoboken Terminal and leaving after their classes are over.
“I am very happy that Stevens has implemented this service,” Shah said. Shah was worried about how she would get to the terminal when coming home from night classes, but the service put her at ease. Engelbart said that he has had “a mostly positive experience” whenever he can get the shuttle, and stated that you can view where your shuttle is on its route to you once you book a ride. Both Shah and Engelbart emphasized that the shuttle is especially beneficial to have during bad weather.
However, there have been some issues that have arisen over the first week since the shuttle has been implemented. Shah and Engelbart highlighted how there have been especially long wait times; Shah explained, “I had to cancel the shuttle multiple times” due to extended wait times from 25 to 40 minutes. Engelbart said he has seen messages stating that there are no shuttles available and to try again later. “Depending on the day and what’s going on, it may be impractical to take the shuttle,” Engelbart said and suggested it could be easier for people to walk places if they are not in a rush.
The major change that Shah and Engelbart suggested could be implemented to improve the shuttle is by adding more vehicles and drivers. Shah states that of the 4 times she used the shuttle, she was picked up in the same vehicle 3 out of those 4 times. Engelbart shared a similar sentiment, by stating, “Long ETAs for pick-up and no open spots could be improved by having more drivers for the shuttle, so there’s more supply to meet the demand.”
In a February 6 poll on The Stute’s Instagram stories, 356 students voted they have not used the new shuttle service and 148 voted that they have used the service. In addition, 148 students voted that the new service is better than the old one, and 84 voted that it’s worse. A comment box was also posted on stories for students to voice thoughts on the service, which can be seen below.
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