Rain or shine, students huddle around the bus stop on 12th and Berks streets waiting for Temple shuttles. Some wait to take the Temple buses to commute to Ambler Campus, Health Sciences Center, Fort Washington Campus and the Tyler School of Art.
A new shuttle has appeared at the shuttle stops. The brightly-colored bus is wrapped in York North and Academia Suites advertisements for students who live the apartment complexes.
Both apartments provide free shuttle service for Temple students six times daily. The York North apartment complex is approximately 15 minutes away from Academia Suites. Temple students relying on the Academia Suites and York North bus can use the shuttle to travel to and from Main Campus and Health Sciences Center.
Mark Gottlieb, superintendent of Temple’s service operations, said there are 10 employed drivers who are involved in the Inter Campus shuttle service from Main Campus to Ambler Campus. These drivers are responsible for transporting students 16 times each day Monday through Friday. Of these buses, some tend to fill up quickly.
One driver said there are times when the bus is too full to allow more people on. Students who cannot board the shuttle must wait for the next bus or seek alternate modes of transportation.
Drivers said they want everyone to board, but it’s against the law to have people standing while traveling on route 309, which is part of the route for the Ambler Shuttle Bus Schedule. Drivers said they would rather avoid legal calamity.
“It would just help if the number were up, if they thought about the amount of kids that ride the bus,” said Erika Adam, a junior from the Tyler School of Art.
Adam said Tyler students often carry their artworks on shuttles, leaving little if any room for students from the medical campus to board.
Although a suggestion or feedback form can be found on the Office of Facilities Management Web site, Gottlieb said he has not received any complaints about the Shuttle Service.
Waiting outside the 12th and Berks shuttle station everyday is Isis Shannon. Shannon, a senior, commutes from Main Campus to Ambler Campus where she lives. She said at times the bus has been too full for her to get on and has waited an hour before a second bus arrived.
“It’s usually great,” Shannon said. “But sometimes there are peak hours.”
Joshua Rosenberg can be reached at j.rosenberg@temple.edu.
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