TIGERTV ONLINE REPORTER
Student Government is in the process of arranging a shuttle that will take students who need to fly anywhere during holidays to two airports.
The buses will take students to Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans not only at the beginning of breaks but pick them up at the end of breaks as well.
The idea for the shuttle was part of the More campaign SG President Stuart Watkins and SG Vice President Martina Scheuermann ran on.
“Working in the parking office, mothers and fathers are always calling the office to see if we offer some type of shuttle for out-of-state students for the holidays,” SG Director of Transportation Noah Miller said. “We wanted to help out-of-state students and students that wanted to travel during the holidays get to and from the airports.”
“Many people travel over the break, and I think that this shuttle will help some people save on gas money, renting a taxi cab and parking at the airports,” Miller said. “This is a service that we are excited about starting up.”
Out-of-state students agree the service will be beneficial.
“It’ll be really convenient not to have to pay for a taxi or bug my family for rides to and from the airport,” mass communications and math education sophomore Greg Renoud, who is from New York, said. “It’s going to be great.”
SG is currently compiling data from surveys to figure out how many buses will be needed. Miller said SG is looking to use First Transit as the chartering company for the buses and will most likely use new smaller buses. He also said SG wants to work toward maintaining the service for years to come.
“We are willing to do whatever it takes to make this service last throughout different student government administrations,” Miller said.
A fee for students using the service is a possibility, but the amount and whether there will be one or not will be known when SG finishes gathering survey data.
Students don’t mind the chance of a fee compared to an average cab fare from Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport to campus, which is $18.10. That total doesn’t include charges for time spent stopped for traffic and red lights and a tip.
“Why would anyone pay twenty bucks for a cab when you could take the shuttle?” anthropology graduate student and Texan Audra Jones said.
More details will be figured out at SG continues to develop this new student service.
