At the final Undergraduate Assembly meeting of the semester, the UA passed a resolution that cancels winter airport shuttles and held internal elections for a member of the budget committee.
Airport Shuttles
The UA passed a resolution by a vote of 20-7-5 to find alternative modes of transportation for students in the winter. As a result, the winter break airport shuttles will not be running this year.
After looking at the cost and logistical problems of winter airport shuttles, UA Vice President and College senior Joshua Chilcote said that the cost was increasing each year, making the price of tickets increase as well.
Eventually, the UA wants the price of airport shuttles to be $5 instead of $6.50, the price of the Thanksgiving shuttles this year. Because Thanksgiving shuttles lead to a profit and spring break shuttles lead to a loss, running shuttles at only these two times would allow the UA to break even and continue to price the shuttles and have a sustainable model.
Chilcote noted that the current price of $6.50 is almost the same as taking public transportation or splitting a cab to the airport. Alternative options include the Lady Liberty shuttle or taking SEPTA regional rail.
UA representative and College junior Aidan McConnell said that it was too late to cancel airport shuttles for this year. College sophomore Marc Petrine agreed, saying that the UA should see if ticket sales and the profits increase with the new online ticket buying system.
The UA does not offer shuttles at the end of spring semester and some UA members thought that this was a good parallel to draw when making their decision.
College sophomore and last year’s Airport Shuttle Coordinator Kat McKay said that it was very difficult to fill up airport shuttles during the winter because there is a greater spread of the days and times students choose to leave.
The UA is looking into advertising other transportation options and potentially partnering with Uber to offer discounted airport rides.
Budget Committee Elections
The UA also elected Engineering junior and UA representative Jacob Henner to sit on the budget committee. The budget committee will help work with student groups and be in charge of student government funding, including UA contingency funding.
Two other UA representatives ran for the position. Henner said that he wants to examine what groups have the need for funding and help the rest of the budget committee ensure that the contingency funding process runs smoothly.
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