Student Council unanimously approved a resolution last night to endorse the implementation of late-night bus routes through the University Transit Service on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Currently, UTS stops bus routes at 12:20 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday.
"If you walk outside after midnight on any given Thursday, Friday or Saturday, you can see why a resolution like this might be important," said Darius Nabors, chair of Council's student life committee. "We've basically been working on this since the beginning of the year."
Council Parking and Transportation co-chair Clayton Powers agreed.
"There are hoards of students walking around the corner of Ruby and University on weekends past midnight," he said.
According to Powers, Council looked at existing late-night mass transportation services at peer institutions, including the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania and Duke University.
Although Council already helps operate SafeRide for limited late-night transportation, a number of Council members have claimed that it is insufficient for general purposes.
"SafeRide is supposed to be used for specific transportation needs, and it is currently being used for more than that, rendering it inefficient," Nabors said. "A lot of students just use it for rides home instead of the specific safety purposes that it was designed for."
Powers said the committee has calculated that extending busing will cost approximately $32,000, which comes to about $3 extra per student annually.
Recently, Council gathered signatures from students for a petition supporting the late-night busing initiative.
Signers of the petition declared their willingness to pay up to an additional $5 a year to the Student Transportation Fee in order to extend nighttime bus service on Thursday through Saturday from midnight to 3:20 a.m.
Council has received 895 signatures thus far and expects to pick up even more.
"We are going to show the administration that there is support for this from the student body as a whole and Student Council," Nabors said.
According to Powers, Council hopes to have a pilot program set up by the end of the semester, although it may not be ready until spring term.
Read More
U.Va. Dine launches new partnership with ReusePass for reusable container program
By Brandon Kile | 20 hours agoWhile students will still have the option to choose between a reusable and disposable container at Gaston Food Hub, reusable containers are now the only option for to-go meals at the dining halls.
Guide Service will focus on historical tours after SSO agreement termination
By Cecilia Mould | YesterdayAs the organization prepares to conduct itself independently, Taliaferro said that general body members of the Guide Service are frustrated but looking forward to the future.
Nearly 300 gather outside Albemarle County Office Building for anti-Trump protest
By Lexie Stadler | YesterdayIndivisible Charlottesville organized the event to encourage civic action against what it called an "unconstitutional power grab."
