Written by Matthew Cavallo with assistance from Esmeralda Rivera

Since the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester, many students have been discussing a change in the shuttles compared to last year; from longer wait times to packed shuttles—even instances of drivers stopping to refuel with students still aboard. The Argo has investigated what has been causing these problems and unfortunately, it looks like they are here to stay.

A source from inside Stockton’s transportation realm—who requested to remain anonymous—told our reporter that there have been significant cuts in funding when it comes to Stockton Shuttles. Drivers have been let go and certain route times have been completely slashed. According to the Transportation website, the route hardest affected was the South Lot Route, which up until this year saw shuttle service run from early in the morning to well into the night. The route now only offers service from 7:45 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. The route that stopped at Lot 9 was completely taken out of service, with a message that has stated for numerous weeks that the route is “temporarily offline.” The anonymous source added that they “would not be surprised if the South Lot Route was cut from the schedule completely.”

 Now, the only on-campus routes that run past 6:00 p.m. are the North Lot Route, Lot 8AB, and Chris Gaupp. After several days of monitoring the Ride Systems app, it appears that there is only one bus that runs to and from the North Lot. You can see in the picture (screenshot after 6:00 p.m.) that Bus #10 is the only bus transporting students to and from Housing I, IV, and V, where hundreds are housed.

A student who resides in Housing I told The Argo, “I think the shuttle system here is very hit or miss. There have been times where I have waited for the shuttle to the residential side of campus for 20 minutes or more. It is also hard when some of the bus drivers do not use the shuttle tracker. I wish the system operated better and that the drivers actually used the shuttle tracker.” Mackenzie, a sophomore at Stockton University, told our reporter about an instance where she was waiting a significant amount of time for a bus, and once it showed up the driver let off students but refused to let her on. She then had to wait even longer for another shuttle to come, causing her to be late for class. 

Unfortunately, these problems do not just pertain to the Galloway Campus. Student Brianna Sullivan recalled a time when she was on an Atlantic City shuttle en route to Galloway and the bus broke down on the side of the Garden State Parkway. She stated that as they were stranded on the side of the road, there were no police on the scene to alert drivers. Then, once a new bus arrived to pick them up, they had to walk down the shoulder of the parkway as cars were speeding past them, leading her and other students to feel “unsafe.” Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous, boarded a bus at the John F. Scarpa Academic Center in Atlantic City, only to find out that no driver ever showed up to transport them to Galloway. “The lead bus drove away but no one ever came and drove our bus.” This caused them to wait until the next shuttle arrived, over 20 minutes later. 

Another factor in this is the shuttle drivers; just about every student spoken to has recalled the kind and friendly nature of the drivers, who are doing the best they can. This not only affects the students but them as well. It is unclear if the University is making them work more hours to cover the spots of the drivers who were let go, but the factors stated above could cause a number of potential scenarios such as higher stress levels, burnout, and anxiety.

The Argo reached out to Lawrence Garlic, Manager of Transportation, but did not hear back by publishing time. It is unclear if the Transportation department plans to add more buses as the Winter season nears, and more students may occupy the shuttles.

For more information on transportation, visit https://stockton.edu/parking/shuttles.html.