The on-again, off-again Boston Bus Shuttle has come back in full force in the last few weeks, and senators hope it will finally become a permanent addition to student life.
The shuttle made a few runs into the city last semester while the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate worked on getting the service completely off the ground. Now, after a hiatus, the Senate's Services Committee has arranged for the shuttle to run full-time again.
Free for Tufts students, the service runs Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. between the Medford/Somerville campus, the Kenmore T subway station and the Boylston T stop.
The Senate first introduced the shuttle during spring of 2004 in response to student complaints about on-campus weekend social options. But before the fall 2007 semester, lack of funding and student enthusiasm led to its discontinuance.
Last spring, due to increasing student demand, the Senate brought back the service. But after less than two months, it was again cut short, this time due to complaints from the Peter Pan bus company about a high incidence of drunk passengers.
"The drivers didn't feel safe because the students were a little too rowdy," said Sam Wallis, chair of the Senate's Services Committee, which oversees the shuttle.
The Senate has turned to Joseph's Limousine and Transportation for the newest resumption of service. Joseph's runs the Davis Square shuttle, commonly known as the Joey.
"We had to work with Joseph's to establish some ground rules," Wallis, a sophomore, said, adding that he hopes student behavior will change with a fresh start.
"Students know now that how they act will result in it being shut down," he said.
The shuttle has taken students into Boston each of the past three weekends, and there have been no problems yet with student behavior.
Kevin Hovanesian, a driver for Joseph's who has been working the shuttle route since last semester, has not had any difficulty with students. "They're sweethearts," he said. "Everything goes well."
Wallis hopes students will view the shuttle as an opportunity to take advantage of Boston's nightlife. He anticipates students will use the service for trips to baseball games, comedy clubs and concerts, as well as bars.
"The T just stops so early," Wallis said. "We still anticipate that it's going to be used by students who want to go out to bars. We'd rather they be safe on the bus."
Students taking the shuttle into the city last Friday night described the service as a great way to save money.
"I don't have to pay anything to get into Boston," said senior Alex Taylor, who took the shuttle to a Boylston club called The Estate. She explained that the shuttle is a convenient service for Tufts students looking to venture off-campus.
"If they're motivated to go out, it's very useful," she said.
Junior Raoul Alwani has taken the shuttle into Boston often and has not run into any difficulties. "It's been perfectly peaceful," he said.
The most significant obstacle so far has been a dearth of knowledge about the service's schedule among the student body, according to Wallis.
In addition to carefully checking the schedule before heading out, students already in the city can easily double-check the times on their mobile devices, he said.
This time around, Wallis believes closer contact with the bus company will help the Services Committee avoid the same issues that rose up in the past. "We hope that if there was any problem, they would communicate it up front," he said.
Wallis is certain that students will continue to act responsibly while taking advantage of the opportunity to travel into the city. The past, he feels, is not representative of the conduct of current students looking to explore Boston.
"It was just a few bad apples that had too much to drink," he said.
