Med school taxi service runs out of money

Medical School students may have to do a lot more walking soon. A taxi service, organized specifically to accomodate medical students during their early morning hours, may run out of funds in the next ten weeks. Medical Student Government President Mark Weiner said the taxi service, which was organized about three years ago in response to the early morning mugging of a medical student, has already spent all of its $10,000 annual budget. Weiner said that this year students have used the taxi service "almost to the point of abuse." "Our budget of $10,000 ran out in six months," Weiner said. He added that the University had to give the program an additional $3000 this month, but that if organizers do not find a solution, the program may be forced to close down. Medical students established the taxi service to accomodate medical students who have peculiar off-peak shifts and are often waiting for public transportation as early as five or six in the morning. Initially, students attempted to organize a car-pooling system, where five or six students would call for a cab together and split the cost. However, the students were unable to give exact times when they could meet because of their varying schedules. The student pays one dollar, and the cab company charges the University six dollars. Weiner said yesterday that the program initially restricted how and where people could use the service, but said that once organizers removed the restrictions, students began to use the taxi service "ferociously." "It's not a matter of convenience," he added. "It's a matter of safety. It's hard to refute that I need the service every day because I go to the hospital at 5:30 a.m." And medical students say they do not want the service to end. "It is something that is definitely worthwhile, and something that should definitely be continued," fourth year medical student Jill Green said. "You could take a bus, but you're standing out there at five or six in the morning." She added that many of her friends are acting more safely and either using the taxi service or paying for a cab. Not all medical students said they use the service frequently, but most students said they would start using it when they begin their "clinics," when University medical students go to hospitals and assist interns with their rounds. During their clinics, medical students often have varied schedules and leave the hospital at odd hours. Fourth year student Karen Girard said she has used the service only once or twice because she used to live in West Philadelphia. Next month, however, her schedule will change and she said she plans to use the taxi service if it is still available. The taxi service has accumulated data on where students in Center City live, and what times they are using the service. Weiner hopes that the University's Escort Service will use this information to alleviate the taxi service problem. Weiner said he thinks Escort should hire medical students for the early morning shifts. "A lot of medical students would like a work-study job," he said. "They can earn extra money driving a van, so hopefully it will work." Escort Service officials, however, did not respond to medical students' specific transportation problem. "At this time, I am not ready to make a statement," Transportation and Mail Services Director Robert Furniss said yesterday. Furniss added that Escort Service is currently being reviewed by a process management team which consists of members from the Department of Public Safety, the Office of University Life, the Office of Transportation and Parking, and undergraduate and graduate students. Weiner said he is still hoping for an Escort solution to the problem.

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