Shuttle service helps students shop

Temple’s Shopping Shuttle left from the Student Center Wednesday afternoon for its second venture to South Philadelphia.

Temple’s Shopping Shuttle left from the Student Center Wednesday afternoon for its second venture to South Philadelphia.

Though a little disorganized, the recently created program gave the ten students onboard the opportunity to get all the odds and ends they need that aren’t so readily available near Main Campus.

Groceries were the main items on the students’ shopping lists, but some went in search of very specific things.

“We need mouse traps in the dorm.” said English major Brain Gowen. “We couldn’t find them at Rite Aid or the school’s store.”

Created by the Temple Student Government in response to the lack of grocery stores around Main Campus, the program is scheduled to run twice a month, alternating between Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The selected destination was a shopping center tucked away amidst warehouses and highways in the Pennsport section of the city.

Whatever couldn’t be found at the Target where the shuttle stopped could be found at nearby Snyder Plaza, where there a Shop Rite, a Marshall’s and a Modell’s all within walking distance.

The program provides shopping opportunities to students that weren’t so easily accessible before the shutle.

Political science and theater major Joyce Kang said she didn’t do much shopping before the shuttle started running.

“I bought groceries from home or I didn’t shop,” she said. “Sometimes I’d go to Rite Aid for basic things I needed.”

Others were on the shuttle to save some money, and in more ways than just bargain shopping. Shannon Leahy used to do her shopping at Trader Joe’s but decided she would rather use the shopping shuttle. The undergraduate film major said she would rather take a free shuttle than pay for public transportation

There was some confusion between students and TSG members about the shuttle’s running time.

One TSG member said the shuttle was scheduled to run at 5 p.m., but students were told 4 p.m. in an e-mail sent by the student government’s listserv several weeks ago.

The shuttle’s scheduled departure time was 4 p.m., but it was delayed by half an hour because the trip’s group leader did not arrive, an incident the TSG representatives were unable to explain.

The students were given an hour to do all of their shopping, which students said they felt was adequate. After a roughly 25 minute ride each way, the shuttle was back on campus by 6:30 p.m.

The shopping shuttle may be a bit of a mystery to those who aren’t on the TSG e-mail listserv. No mention of the program exists on the TSG Web site or anywhere on the web, which might help to explain the somewhat low turnout.

Still, there was no lack of enthusiasm among those who were on the shuttle.

“It’s good that people did this,” said pre-nursing major Silvia Drouilliard. “I wish Temple would give me rides everywhere.”

Tim McCullough can be reached at tim.mccullough@temple.edu.

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