Campus Transit, the University’s call-in shuttle service, will soon have a new, student-selected name.
Originally spawned in 1984 as Women’s Transit, the service was set up to provide free rides for women during late-night hours.
After being transferred from Student Government to the Office of the Dean of Students in the mid-’80s, the shuttle service transformed to a multi-gender service and eventually fell under the umbrella of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation in the early 1990s, said Director Gary Graham.
Not to be confused with the University’s bus service Tiger Trails, Campus Transit will have a new, student-created name come Wednesday following an announcement during Campus Safety Day events held near the Student Union and put on mostly by the LSU Police Department, in conjunction with University Relations and Student Government.
The Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation sent out a broadcast email last week soliciting suggestions for the shuttle service’s new name from students.
In response, they received more than 600 replies, full of many repeats and a hodge-podge of jokes, Graham said.
Some suggestions included Tiger Ride, Gold Ride and Tiger Transit, but part of the reason for the switch was to clear up any confusion between the two transportation services, Graham said.
The submissions will be narrowed down to between five and 10 names, from which students will vote to elect a winner.
Marketing junior Will Murry said he’d call it “Pick-Me-Up,” while biology sophomore Parker Johnson suggested “The Campus Express.”
Less serious suggestions included “The Bus That Will Never Come” from pre-digital art sophomore Nicholas Belson and “The Drunk Bus” from psychology freshman Erin Bazzell.
The new name probably won’t physically appear on the 20 to 25 passenger vans until near the semester’s end, Graham said, when two new, smaller minibuses will expand the fleet’s size from four to six vehicles.
The $60,000 a-piece minibuses will hold about 15 passengers, Graham said, and will replace two vans already removed from the fleet earlier.
LSUPD Spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said the force is always trying to promote campus safety, which includes safe transportation methods late at night.
“One person walking by themselves is a better opportunity than say a person walking in a group,” Lalonde said. “Utilize the public transportation that is available.”
Campus Transit originally ran from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, but following a string of murders by serial killer Derrick Todd Lee in the early 2000s, Graham said the hours were expanded to 2 a.m.
Now, the service runs until 3 a.m. and includes most holidays, weekends and summer, he said.
