The new night shuttle routes through Starkville proved successful this weekend.
Clay Stamson, director of transportation and parking for the Student Association, said it was estimated that about 500 riders rode the two shuttles over the course of three nights.
“It’s a lot easier to use and a lot less of a headache,”Stamson said. “As time goes on people will adjust and build the extra time it takes to ride [the shuttles] into their plans for the night.”
Holli Hitt, a member of the SA Cabinet and also a passenger on the night shuttle’s inaugural trip, said she would be using it more in the future.
The shuttle eliminated the need to drive downtown where parking can be difficult, and as a woman, she felt safer because she would not have to walk alone at night in any dark parking lots, Hitt said. She added that the night routes would be good for downtown businesses and restaurants.
Stamson said the night routes also could benefit international students without vehicles, giving them more opportunities to experience life in a college town.
Stamson said the idea originated after student Henry Alison “Hutt” Hutton, a high school friend of Stamson’s, died last year while walking home one night.
Stamson hopes the night shuttle system will save lives in the future.
Stamson said the development of the night routes took several months of planning.
Kate McIntosh, chief of staff to the SA, said a new cabinet position was created over a growing concern for transportation needs. SA President Josh Blades named Stamson as the new director of transportation. He immediately started working on the proposal, including getting insurance estimates.
“There were lots of obstacles,” Stamson said. “There were liability concerns and image concerns.”
In addition to insurance quotes, Stamson said he also had to address the university’s fear of the night shuttles becoming “drunk buses.”
Although he admitted that some students might use the shuttles for getting home after a night of drinking, Stamson said a large number of students without vehicles will be able to benefit from these night routes.
The next step was to contact local businesses and restaurants for donations to run the night routes, Stamson said. The cost of operating the night shuttles was estimated at $15,000 per semester.
Stamson said the Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau donated $5,000 to the night routes. Already seven businesses have given $1,000. The SA lacks $3,000, but is continuing to seek financial support.
Stamson encourages students to ride the shuttles and make use of the system, since it will be judged on how successful it works out this semester.
One thing Stamson said he wanted to make clear about the night shuttles is that the buses do not intend to leave anyone behind. He said that some students were concerned that they would be left without a way to get home once the shuttles stop running at midnight.
The buses are not going to leave anybody behind, but they are not going to circle around again if nobody is at the bus stops. If the shuttles are full and there are more people waiting at the stops, they will come back again to pick them up, Stamson said.