Students have had a lot to say about how Stockton’s shuttles operate, both in Galloway and Atlantic City. There has been a significant level of dissatisfaction for a prolonged period of time; in Fall 2023, the Argo investigated the decline in the shuttles’ performance, as well as the budget cuts Stockton made, letting go of many drivers. The decision to shut down weekend shuttle service in Fall 2024 brought more complaints and pleas for change from students. The issues were further mentioned in the Argo in Spring 2025, with no improvement as far as most students have seen. The Argo even launched a Change.org petition, which has accrued 82 signatures from Stockton students, to bring back weekend shuttle service on Galloway’s campus.

At the Spring Town Hall, President Bertolino addressed the shuttles’ performances. A student had asked, “Transportation: do we plan to update the shuttle situation? We need more frequent shuttles to AC at peak times.” To this, President Bertolino replied, “The Facilities and Operations Division, specifically the Transportation Department, actively monitors shuttle ridership on a daily basis and makes adjustments to shuttle numbers, frequency, and schedules as necessary. Over the past year, we have received minimal complaints, and any concerns raised have been promptly addressed. We encourage students to submit any shuttle-related issues through the Student Affairs/CARES program for resolution. At this time, there are no plans to increase shuttle service frequency. Additionally, Galloway Parking has been made available as an alternative for AC Student Residence to provide further access.”

When polled about Bertolino’s statement on Instagram, specifically in regards to having “minimal complaints” about shuttles, 74% of Stockton students that voted did not agree with his statement, while 26% of students did agree. AC students polled on the frequency of their shuttles showed that 70% think that the shuttles are not frequent enough, and 30% think they are. When polled about their knowledge of where to submit issues about shuttles, 93% voted that they didn’t know where to go while only 7% voted that they were aware. Therefore, basing data on the students’ opinions about the shuttles off of the amount of complaints submitted through Student Affairs or Stockton CARES is not a good source of information.

A student from AC that preferred to remain anonymous said, “I didn’t know there was a place to file formal complaints, and I also think that if they aren’t going to update the frequency of shuttles, they should increase the number of spaces on it as the shuttles fill up quickly and I know myself and several other students who were late to classes because we had to wait for the next one.”

“Sometimes I do wish the shuttle times weren’t every 45 minutes, but more like every 30-35 minutes, if in some way that was possible,” Danna Urias, an AC resident, said. “I didn’t know that students could complain about the shuttles, but I do feel like I hear a lot of complaints, just not to Student Affairs [specifically].” In regards to parking, Urias stated, “I like the parking switch made for AC residents on Galloway campus. It [definitely] gives us more opportunities to park all over campus without getting ticketed. But the lots get really packed on some days.”

A former AC resident, Carly, commented, “The earliest time I would use the shuttle was around 7:30 in the morning. There would never be enough shuttles for the people there, so they end up missing their 8:30 classes.” She also disagreed that there has been a low volume of complaints. “People were always complaining in my building last year,” she said. “There is no information about where to go for that. I didn’t know there was a place to formally submit a claim [about shuttles].” Carly also added, “If there’s not enough buses or drivers, maybe put out an ad or try to invest more in what the students need instead of adding stuff no one asked for.”

In Fall 2023, there was an instance where an Argo reporter’s classmate arrived to class late because of the AC shuttles’ delays and tardiness. She waited in the shuttle for a half hour before it finally went to Galloway, causing her to be 15 minutes late to class. Unfortunately, the professor was unsympathetic and lowered her attendance grade anyway, telling her to take an “earlier shuttle,” even though this student would have to arrive on campus over an hour before class would even start. Had the shuttle left at its scheduled time, she wouldn’t have been late to class.

“Stockton asked for money for the library, and they haven’t even been working on it. It’s just sitting there closed,” said a Housing 4 student, who primarily uses the shuttles for transportation. “I get not having enough money to have all these shuttles online, but if this is a concern, and there’s not enough for it, then the school should see that as something more important.” A Housing 5 student remarked, “They won’t even invest in having a cover for the South Lot stop for when it’s raining. The other day, I was standing out there in the cold for [about] 20 minutes.”

Andrea Sandoval, President of Student Senate, also lives in AC and is a Resident Assistant. She informed the Argo that “There used to be more times [for the AC Shuttles], but since not many students were using it, they reduced the times to accommodate the class schedules. Adding more times would be an increase in spending, and there has been a driver shortage, so changing the frequency would be difficult just because there are more logistics that come with it.” In regards to communication, Sandoval said, “There is no way for students to complain directly to transportation,” adding, “Last year the shuttle [schedule] signs used to say any concerns should be emailed to Student Senate.” Upon checking the signs, Sandoval said this notice was no longer posted.

Parking has been a huge source of headaches for Stockton students, and has been an ongoing issue for years. The Argo published an article about the issue in 2021 and two in Spring 2024. There was even a Rago article and an Argo Comics about parking, the latter of which was released this semester. There are supposed plans to build a parking garage in Galloway, but there haven’t been any updates since the project’s approval.

Another concern is the lack of accessibility for disabled students on campus. Just recently, the Argo released an article about the difficulties Stockton’s disabled students have faced, including the fact that many of the shuttles to AC lack a wheelchair lift, causing a disabled student to miss their class when they were turned away from the bus. While the issue was addressed, it highlights how Stockton has not prioritized accessibility.

I myself have been struggling some over the past weeks due to a leg injury that put me in a boot and crutches for three weeks. On Sunday, I had to attend a very important meeting, but since the shuttles are not running on the weekends, I had no way to get there. I had no one to give me a ride, and on top of that, the weather was rainy, windy, and cold. I couldn’t walk across the lake to my meeting, so I had to call Stockton PD to give me a ride to campus. Stockton PD has been very nice and accommodating, but I shouldn’t have had to ask them to lend their time to give me a ride. There should be a shuttle running so this isn’t necessary. If I struggled for a couple weeks with a temporary injury, how much more does the disabled community at Stockton go through when they have important commitments that they can’t get to because of the shuttles’ inaccessibility?

Now that the 2024-25 cycle is ending, students hope that their voices will be heard and that their needs are met in the near future. The petition for weekend shuttles can be found here, in hopes that Stockton will consider adding, at least, a seasonal weekend shuttle to Galloway, in which one shuttle will be available to residential students on weekends during the cold seasons.