Expect disruptions to trolley, shuttle services, SU PTS says
Joe Zhao | Staff Photographer
Syracuse University’s Office of Parking and Transportation Services warned in a Thursday SU news release that the university's trolley and shuttle services could experience disruptions for the rest of the spring semester due to a shortage of licensed drivers. PTS wrote in the release that the office hopes to return to usual operations with a full staff of drivers by the beginning of the fall 2023 semester.
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Amid an ongoing shortage of drivers, Syracuse University’s Office of Parking and Transportation Services advised of disruptions to university trolley and shuttle services set to last for the rest of the semester, according to a Thursday SU news release.
PTS said a lack of available drivers with commercial driver’s licenses has caused it to struggle to fill planned shifts. The shortage in drivers has already led to reduced service for the university’s shuttle routes and delays for the Blue and Orange trolley loops, which include stops at SU’s on-campus residence halls, College Place and the Barnes Center at The Arch, according to the release.
In a March 23 tweet, PTS cited the driver shortage in its announcement that the March 24 Blue loop start time would be delayed from its usual weekday start time of 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. PTS has announced seven total delays in trolley services on its Twitter account since March 14.
The service disruptions come amid this semester’s existing student concerns with university transportation. On Jan. 3o, SU announced it would discontinue the trolley loop to the Nancy Cantor Warehouse in downtown Syracuse and replace it with a Euclid Loop, citing overwhelming student requests for the campus safety shuttle. After students from the College of Visual and Performing Arts expressed frustration, SU added a Warehouse stop to the Euclid Loop.
The university experienced similar problems with driver staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Centro announced it would no longer operate transportation services at SU past 8 p.m. due to its own driver shortage.
Shortages of bus drivers for education-related transportation across New York state led to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to launch an outreach initiative aimed toward recruiting more commercial-licensed drivers across the state.
SU has not yet announced any specific steps it will take in addressing the driver shortage.
PTS wrote in the release that the office hopes to return to usual operations with a full staff of drivers by the beginning of the fall 2023 semester.
Published on April 9, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2
