The first-ever Boston College grocery shuttle bus for students is expected to make its first run on Oct. 21. The new program is one of three initiatives the Undergraduate Government of BC has been working on for the upcoming semester. Other initiatives include the creation of a new Student Guide Committee and a points-based reward system for student sports tickets.
The grocery shuttle, paid for directly from the UGBC budget, is just waiting for approval from the Office of the General Counsel, with no anticipated problems or possible hold-ups.
A deal has been made with Boston Coach, which will be providing the shuttle service between BC's Conte Forum bus stop and the Star Market on Beacon Street. The shuttle will run each Sunday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m., with buses leaving every half-hour.
The shuttles can hold 29 people, but to ensure that every student has a chance to take advantage of this new service, half of the seats require reservations. Students will be able to sign up at UGBC.org once the seats are made available. The remaining seats will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.
"We're trying to make this as accessible as possible for all students," said Mike Bisanz, executive director of student life for UGBC and A&S '08.
Bisanz also noted that the service is for off-campus students as well.
For now, the shuttle service is only a trial program. The costs of the service too greatly exceed allocated funding in the UGBC budget, so unless the University picks up the bill, the service will only be temporary.
"We want this service to improve student life. Our ultimate goal is to have the shuttle service added to the transportation contract already existing between BC's administration and Boston Coach," Bisanz said.
"We would want the University to take up this initiative, but still need to prove there is a demand for this service, so we're being proactive about it," said Jenniffer Castillo, UGBC president and A&S '07.
