The Bear Bus program, a joint effort by Oakland University Housing and Student Congress, is preparing for adaptations to the updated routes and the use of two new shuttles that were introduced in September.

“We are doing our best to support the needs of both those students living on-campus, as well as the needs of several OU departments and student organizations,” Nick Desrochers, the program’s coordinator, said. “The program continues to grow based on need.”

 

Increased ridership and routing

The program has experienced increased ridership within the last year, according to Desrochers and Christine Aranda, program supervisor and bus driver. To encourage ridership, the Bear Bus supervising team has updated its website and social media presence.

“Our number of total passengers per year is already on the track to beat last year’s numbers. They had 8,000 (passengers) total, and we are on track for 10-12,000,” Aranda said.

“Our goal is to have 16,000 passengers this year.”  Amera Fattah, OUSC director of student services, cited the highest ridership during midterms and finals and the lowest during official campus breaks.

“We’ve noticed higher numbers during those times because students absolutely need to get to classes,” she said.

Desrochers attributes the increase to communication with the student body and increased awareness.

“While having two new shuttles has contributed to more students using our services, we’ve spent a lot of time with OU students to ensure their voices are heard regarding where it is that they want to go,” he said.

The off-campus routes have been updated to include weekly stops at Great Lakes Crossing and visits to Taco Bell.

“Our biggest success this year has been the first night we did the Taco Bell run. We had 140 passengers in just a little over two hours,” Aranda said.

The routes will be continuously adjusted based on student interest, according to Fattah.

“It’s difficult, because students want consistency. We do have that to a degree with the routes, but the more requests we get, the more we’re adapting things,” she said. “To be consistent, you have to change — I look at a lot of this like a test trial.”  Fattah said the program is working with the Center for Student Activities to coordinate event transportation and the vans are available for rental by student organizations and departments.

“We want people to come to the university for their transportation needs first,” she said.

Although it is unsure how winter weather will affect the amount of passengers, Desrochers is optimistic about its potential impact.

“I believe the winter weather should impact ridership in a positive way, as many students would prefer to use our services to get to their on-campus destinations than walk in cold and snowy weather,” Desrochers said.

 

A bump in the road 

In September, the program introduced an updated set of routes and added two new shuttles to the two Bear Bus vans already in use. The shuttles seat 16-20 passengers and are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a feature not available with the vans.

The use of the shuttles was delayed until Sept. 17 because the drivers required additional licensing. To operate the vans, the drivers all had the required chauffeur’s licenses. Due to the size and higher passenger capacity of the shuttles, they required a commercial license with a passenger endorsement.

“University Housing has always been, and will always be, most concerned with the safety of Oakland University students, and will always take precaution to ensure that we are in full compliance with state law regarding student transportation,” Desrochers said.

Fattah said  changes were implemented quickly to resolve the issue.

“It was a detail we overlooked. As soon as we found out about the need for the licenses, Housing resolved it almost immediately,” she said.  “We found out about the additional requirements and the same day our drivers started the training process.”

To obtain the required commercial license and passenger endorsement, drivers first had to obtain a permit and attend training to understand the mechanics of the new shuttles. Once the training was completed, drivers were eligible for the road test.  Drivers must perform an inspection prior to every use, according to Aranda.

“You need to know the ins and outs of the entire vehicle, and we have certain procedures if emergencies take place,” she said.

The shuttles are still used for strictly on-campus routes. The changes and additions to the Bear Bus program required to make the shuttles compliant to go off-campus are still being investigated and reviewed by Housing and the Risk Management Department, according to Desrochers.   It is still uncertain how long the process will take.

“Once a timeline has been decided upon, we will provide additional information on our website to keep the OU community informed on the progress we are making,” he said.

Long-term plans 

In addition to the changes under way, those involved with the Bear Buses are making plans to ensure the longevity of the program.  Fattah has been working with Housing and Student Services to plan for five Bear Bus shelters to be established at the busiest route stops. New signs with route information were placed at the stops last week.

Fattah said the shelters would provide security and comfort for riders, and would allow more users to reduce parking congestion.

According to Fattah, 14 of the 15 public universities in Michigan have on-campus transportation, and of those eight have sheltered bus stops.

The Bear Bus shelters are still in the early stages of budgeting and approval, but Fattah hopes to have a plan in place soon, with construction slated for this summer if all goes as planned.

“From a general consensus, there’s been support for the shelter idea,” she said. “The shelters would make the transportation program more complete.”

Fattah hopes  students will take advantage of the program, and that ridership and awareness will continue to increase. She said the ultimate goal of the Bear Bus program is to provide a service to the OU community.

“We need parking, and because we’re not getting parking, we need better transportation on campus. We’re working on it,” she said. “You spend more than 20 minutes finding parking — the complete Bear Bus route is 20 minutes. Park your car and wait, just give it a chance.”