Syracuse University students who are concerned about their safety and need to get home late at night have to wait for Centro and Ultimate Arrival buses for inappropriate lengths of time. This problem can realistically be addressed in one of two ways: the Department of Public Safety’s shuttle services could cater to on-campus housing during Centro hours of operation, or the bus services could run more frequently.

The current services organized by DPS include walking escorts, Shuttle-U-Home and Shuttle 44. Shuttle-U-Home and Shuttle 44 are free services that operate late nights and early mornings. Students can receive free transportation home as long as they live with in the designated boundaries. Neither of these services operate in areas covered by the Centro buses during its hours of operation.

This means that students who live with in the boundaries of the Centro services and want an escort or shuttle during the bus hours of operation will only be escorted as far as the nearest bus stop. This rule applies to students who live in Brewster, Boland, Brockway, the Mount and on South Campus. DPS asserts that the Centro bus system is the first resource for safe student transportation, and that the various escort services provided are solely for safety and not for convenience.

But because some bus services run infrequently, for example the East Campus shuttle that is operated by Ultimate Arrival runs only every 40 minutes, students that are escorted to the bus station would still be left alone for an unreasonable amount of time. That period may push students to walk home alone, which could then put them a dangerous situations. If the buses ran more frequently, students would feel comfortable waiting for their arrival.

The other alternative would be expanding the shuttle services organized by DPS to the transport students who live within Centro boundaries even when the Centro buses are in operation. When the shuttle services are in operation and transporting students who live off campus, they should not restrict students who live on campus from also getting a ride.

There is no reason a student should feel they are left in a situation that compromises their safety. Whether the university decides to contract more late night bus services or expands the shuttle services, something must be done.