Building on recent changes to its shuttle routes and ongoing feedback from students, Columbus State University’s Facilities Division is looking to add several new ridership features to its shuttle service.

Route changes in November 2021 reduced travel time between the university’s Main Campus and RiverPark Campus. These included modifying late-night operating hours and consolidating the number of RiverPark Campus shuttle stops. Together, these changes placed more shuttles in operation during peak hours and shaved 10 minutes off travel time between the two campuses.

Curtis Walker, who is concluding his second term as CSU’s Student Government Association president, indicated that one of the greatest concerns students had, even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, was the reliability of the shuttle schedule. 

“The schedule map was difficult to understand and became frustrating in cases when a shuttle ran behind or left early,” he explained. “I’m thrilled that shuttle maps and routes are easier to understand and will be more efficient as a result of these changes.”

Sandy Gore, CSU’s interim transportation director, indicated that, despite reducing the number of hours shuttles were in operation each week, ridership has actually increased during the spring semester.

“Ridership rates have increased by nearly 40% this spring compared to Spring 2021,” she noted. “Some weeks during the spring, we’ve experienced semester-over-semester weekly increases by several hundred riders.”

Gore credits the diligence of its shuttle fleet drivers for success in keeping routes on schedule and students on time for their classes and other university commitments. Like so many in service-based roles, shuttle drivers had increased pressures resulting from the pandemic while adapting at the same time to these changes.

“Staffing shortages and increased public health guidelines—like monitoring all riders to ensure they were wearing required face coverings, as well as sanitizing their shuttles more frequently throughout the day—can take its toll,” she noted. “Our drivers’ commitment to everyone’s health and safety in addition to just keeping their shuttles running on time has been greatly appreciated. It’s also a vital part of our continued success.”

Since implementing those changes last November, Gore said her team has continued to garner feedback from students through its online feedback form and periodic town halls as a way of evaluating the outcomes of those changes. That feedback has also led to some upcoming changes, such as adding back a Frank Brown Hall stop to the RiverPark Campus route. It also learned about the need to better advertise that its off-campus, off-route stop Piggly Wiggly remains a “soft stop”—meaning that drivers will drop-off and pick-up students there upon request.

CSU students have seen upgrades outside the shuttles as well. The most notable of these has been a facelift to the university’s primary Main Campus shuttle stop between the Davidson Student Center and the Student Recreation Center. The new shuttle stop features increased seating capacity and solar-powered lighting.

“Not only does the new double bus stop structure feature sustainable lighting,” said Kelly Wilson, senior executive director of Facilities and CSU Real Estate, “but the previous smaller bus stop structure was repurposed and is now serving shuttle riders with a covered bus stop experience at the Courtyard Apartments shuttle stop along College Drive.”

Upgrades to the rider experience will continue this fall as shuttles are equipped with new digital technologies. 

One of those additions—an upgrade highly requested by students—will be a real-time, app-based shuttle tracker. Although the university shuttles operate on a consistent 30-minute loop between its two campuses, this live, GPS tracking technology will pinpoint exactly where shuttles are on their routes and how much wait time students can expect. Students can set notifications for their preferred stops and routes, and transportation personnel can alert students when shuttles are running behind schedule.

The ability to track shuttles in real-time—a familiar feature to anyone who has used a ride-sharing app—will be a welcomed addition by students, Walker emphasized.

“Once transportation launches GPS shuttle tracking, student riders will be relieved,” he said. “It is great to know that transportation leadership has considered the thoughts and concerns of the student body and used them to create solutions.”

Students aren’t the only ones benefiting from changes and the use of new technologies. Shuttle operators will now use a new cloud-based system. Riders will be able to scan their CSU ID cards upon entering a shuttle, and the handheld scanner will verify the rider’s CSU enrollment or employment status. Drivers will no longer have to manually log all of their ridership data on paper, which will make recordkeeping more efficient and sustainable. Together, the data will help Facilities leaders track ridership rates, popular travel times, and riders’ travel time from stop to stop.

Columbus State offers complimentary shuttle service to students and employees who show a valid CSU ID upon entering a university shuttle. University shuttles run routes between the Main Campus and RiverPark Campus seven days a week, except for university holidays. Students also receive discounted single-fare and monthly unlimited rider passes for the Columbus Consolidated Government’s Metra transportation system.

The Facilities Division has plans for an end-of-semester survey for students and employees, which will be distributed via university email. For more information about the university’s shuttle services, visit students.columbusstate.edu/bus-schedules.php.