June 7, 2013
As the 2012-2013 academic year comes to an end, so too does the pilot phase of the NightRide Pilot Program. During the pilot phase of the NightRide Program, Transportation and Parking Services worked closely with colleagues in Campus and Student Life and Student Government to conduct two rider surveys requesting feedback on shuttle operations. Of the more than 1,600 responses received, 65 percent of the responses indicated overall satisfaction with the service. Though the majority of the feedback was very positive, some suggestions for service enhancements were offered.
Based on this survey feedback as well as our ongoing assessment of ridership patterns, the following changes will be made to the NightRide Program, beginning in the fall of 2013:
- Central Route – Transportation and Parking Services, in collaboration with the Office of Undergraduate Student Housing, is pleased to announce that the Central route will be extended further south and a new stop created along 60th Street near Ellis Avenue. This service enhancement will help Broadview residents get to Cathey Dining Commons for meals.
- South Loop Shuttle – Survey results found that students would prefer the South Loop Shuttle to start earlier in the evening. The first shuttle will depart campus at 6:00 p.m., with the last trip leaving the CTA’s Roosevelt Station at 12:30 a.m.
- East Route – To ease congestion and address pedestrian safety concerns, the boarding area for the East route shuttles will be relocated from the current location in front of Regenstein Library to the accessible loading zone area on the south side of 56th Street north of Greenwood Avenue. The shuttle can continue its normal route from this location and passengers can access the new loading and unloading area from the current transportation hub by walking northbound along the pedestrian pathway between the Regenstein Library and Max Palevsky.
Transportation and Parking Services vetted the change to the East route through various stakeholder groups at the University. If you would like to provide any feedback about the NightRide program or the University’s transportation services in general, please email nightride@uchicago.edu. For more information on transportation and parking at the University, visit bus.uchicago.edu.