The Student Union Society (SUS) is looking to address the inadequate shuttle bus capacity on the Langley route with the addition of six high-capacity school buses. The buses will be added during peak hours starting Oct. 1, increasing the route’s capacity by 276 seats.
The school buses have an increased capacity of 56 persons, compared to the traditional shuttle buses with a capacity of 16 persons. The SUS hopes the additional capacity will “reduce or eliminate” problems with buses becoming full and having to leave students or faculty behind.
Three school buses have replaced the traditional 16-person shuttle buses, and three new routes, with the high-capacity school buses, have also been added to the schedule.
The addition of these new buses and routes has slightly altered the shuttle bus schedule in the morning for the Langley to Abbotsford bus and the afternoon and evening for the Abbotsford to Langley bus. All Friday schedules will remain the same.
Although it was discussed in the past, the press release stated that the lack of accessibility on the higher capacity school buses was a major reason why they had not previously been brought on.
The problem will be addressed by ensuring school bus runs are always bracketed between the accessible shuttle runs. As previously, those with accessibility needs will be guaranteed a seat on the accessible shuttle buses.
“Over the past two years, SUS has witnessed tremendous growth in the number of students and staff using the campus connector shuttle,” Gurvir Gill, SUS president, said over the press release.
“As a result of [discussions] and ongoing review, we are proud to announce a significant expansion of the SUS campus connector shuttle service.”
Image: Jessica Barclay/The Cascade
