As students wait to catch a ride on the University’s Tiger Trails buses, watching full buses pass them by can cause ire. Most don’t understand the reasoning behind the buses not stopping.
The bus drivers know not to stop if their buses are too crowded, said Gary Graham, director of Parking, Traffic and Transportation. Graham said his office has received complaints from students who have been passed up by the buses, and he is trying to work out a way to signal to students that the buses are full.
Graham said the peak bus-riding times vary depending on the day and weather, but will usually occur near the times classes change.
He estimated the busiest times for students riding the buses are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9 and 11 a.m.
“We could always put more buses out there if we had the buses and if we had the money,” Graham said. “That’d be up to the students to say, ‘We want more’ and ‘We can pay for more.'”
Graham was unsure of the maximum occupancy of all of the buses, but he estimated big buses could seat 45 people and had standing room for another 25.
He said there haven’t been any safety issues because of overcrowding.
Students are taking notice of the crowded buses, however.
Thomas Miller, communication disorders freshman, said he usually notices crowded buses around 1 to 3 p.m. He said he has been passed up by the buses before, but it hasn’t made him late for classes yet.
Miller said he hasn’t encountered any problems when he is riding in a packed bus, “other than standing for … a half hour in a moving vehicle.”
Business management sophomore Steve Goins said the buses are usually crowded early in the mornings and in the afternoons around 4 p.m. He said he has been passed up by the buses before, making him late for class.
Goins said he would consider paying more fees to purchase additional buses, as long as the fees aren’t too expensive.
Chemical engineering sophomore Helena Ochoa said she adjusted her schedule around the buses.
“[The buses] made me late for the first day, and I just started catching the bus earlier,” Ochoa said.
 
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Contact Kevin Thibodeaux at [email protected]