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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

WEB EXCLUSIVE: UPD seeks input on shuttle service

Changes to the 4-RIDE service are working smoothly, and the University Police Department plans to use feedback from student surveys to improve 4-RIDE and Colonial Express Shuttle service for next year, UPD Director Dolores Stafford said.

“(4-RIDE staff) said the changes went fine,” Stafford said.

UPD announced April 1 that students who call 4-RIDE for a ride from one on-campus location to another will be instructed to use the Colonial Express Shuttle if they are near a shuttle stop.

“Students who say they want to wait for the 4-RIDE van instead of taking the shuttle will still be allowed to take the shuttle,” Stafford said.

UPD recently added three full-time drivers to its 4-RIDE staff, which means there are two additional drivers each night, Stafford said.

But because of high demand, the addition of drivers did not eliminate waits of up to 40 minutes for 4-RIDE service during peak hours, Stafford said. She said the changes in 4-RIDE service are designed to curb the demand.

Next year UPD plans to expand the 4-RIDE service by adding two new vans, Stafford said.

4-RIDE drives students to on-campus locations and up to three blocks off-campus from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The Colonial Express Shuttle runs on a set 35-minute route around campus during the same hours.

Last week UPD and the Student Association surveyed students on their opinions about 4-RIDE and the Colonial Express Shuttle. Stafford said she plans to meet with Student Association President Roger Kapoor within the next three weeks to discuss the results of the surveys.

UPD will not change either service until the fall semester, Stafford said.

“We want to wait and see what feedback we get, so that we can make both services better,” Stafford said. “If students choose not to use (the shuttle) we may need to make changes and we are willing to make changes.”

Stafford said the number of students using the Colonial Express Shuttle in April is higher than in previous years.

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