Spring Break
New shuttle stops to grocery, art stores
Naomi Parikh
Issue date: 10/17/08 Section: News
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"We talked to a lot of students before pitching the idea, because we wanted to know what stops would best benefit them," Kristen Smith, USGA president, said. "This way, when we finally put the idea out there, we had data to back up that the stops by Fresh Grocer and Trader Joe's would help them most."
Shams Naim, USGA's Student Life assembly chair, first brought the idea to the table.
"We looked into the feasibility of it, surveying a lot of students to get their opinions. We had legitimate data that students wanted a stop by Trader Joe's," said Naim. "The whole point was to allow students to have access to Joe's and Fresh Grocer without having to carry everything back or pay for a cab."
Also located on 22nd and Market streets is the art supply store Utrecht, which many students visit during the term to buy materials for class. Emily Hamrok, a sophomore film major, stops by every few weeks to pick up items.
"I think it's great they have a shuttle stop there," Hamrok said. "The subway runs from 15th Street right down to 30th, so either way you have to walk. The stop makes it a lot easier."
Once pitched, the idea went to Bob Francis, president of Facilities, and Jim Tucker, senior vice president of Student Life.
"All we needed to do was determine how we could provide these service stops within available resources and without affecting schedules, particularly for Center City," Francis said. "That is why the stop at Trader Joe's is westbound. We love working with USGA to implement ideas benefiting our student customers."
"I was pretty excited, to say the least, when they told us the idea had been approved," Naim said.
According to Naim, the next challenge is spreading the word about the new shuttle stops.
"Not a lot of students know about it yet, but those who do are very excited," Naim said. "It's a great way to save money, and much easier than having to carry groceries back to campus."
Naim also hopes to expand on this idea of additional stops by adding a stop in West Philadelphia.
"We're currently checking out all the off-campus apartment locations, and if there's a common area that could serve as a possible stop along the Blue Route," Naim said.
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