Later this week, Syracuse University students with Spring Break travel plans will have an alternative to paying cab fare or harassing a friend for a ride.

The Student Association arranged for and funded a free shuttle to take students to and from the Syracuse Hancock International Airport and the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center this Thursday through Saturday.

The shuttle, a 47-seat charter bus from Wade Tours, will leave the Schine Student Center every hour, starting at 8 a.m. and continuing until 7 p.m. It will travel first to the transportation center and then to the airport.

‘I think it’s a pretty good alternative to paying $30 for a taxi,’ said Larry Seivert, chairman of the SA Committee on University Affairs, which worked on the shuttle arrangements. ‘We think it’s a great service for the students.’

The service will also run March 17 and March 18, the Saturday and Sunday after break. SA has hired a bus from 11 a.m. to midnight, but has not worked out the schedule yet, Seivert said.

After break, buses will leave the airport approximately on the hour and reach the transportation center 20 minutes later, before arriving at Schine to head back to the airport.

‘We’re trying to instruct students to look for a sign at the RTC and the airport,’ Seivert said.

An announcement about the shuttle was sent out by a SU news release Monday. An e-mail with the end-of-break schedule will be sent out once it is worked out, Seivert said.

‘We felt that it would save students money and that they would really appreciate it,’ said Ryan Kelly, SA president, noting that whether the service will be offered again depends on how many students use it. SA has provided a shuttle service in the past.

‘It was a service offered by SA that fell to the wayside,’ Kelly said.

About two weeks ago, the SU Parents Office approached SA about setting up the shuttle. It was organized quickly to be ready by Spring Break, Seivert said. SA is working on conducting a survey after break to evaluate the service.

‘We’re putting this out there to see what the demand is,’ Seivert said.

Published on March 5, 2007 at 12:00 pm