Butler will offer shuttles to and from the Indianapolis airport during holiday breaks. Photo courtesy of ECS Transportation Group.
LAUREN FISCHER | STAFF REPORTER | lrfischer@butler.edu
Butler’s Student Government Association (SGA) recently introduced its new airport shuttle system, which replaces the previous Uber system. SGA will now provide free bus shuttles to the Indianapolis airport on the three days before academic breaks, and the day before classes begin.
In past years, SGA provided students with free personal Ubers to the airport during the days leading up to holiday breaks and after, alongside their normal rides to service areas. SGA will continue to cover Uber rides to health service areas such as The Julian Center, Ascension Urgent Care and Northwest Radiology, along with offering discounted trips to specific shopping areas.
The Uber services to the airport were the only ones changed as SGA found them to be taking away from other initiatives, after an increase in surcharges around holiday breaks.
Eloise Ayotte, a senior environmental studies major and SGA president, discussed that each ride would cost SGA $100 to and from the airport, and how individual rides were not a sustainable option.
“If we’re committing [$100] to one car ride, that’s going to [eventually] take away from other programs that we offer, and we didn’t want to sacrifice that,” Ayotte said. “[Butler’s] campus is moving towards [a] more sustainable culture, and sending one person in one car 20 times a day is significantly less sustainable than 45 people on one bus four times a day.”
While this change is a more sustainable and financially mindful option, many students have expressed concerns about this change.
Senior P2 pharmacy major Ava Barjenbruch had used the Uber system multiple times throughout her time in college. Upon looking into this change, she felt concerned about its logistics.
“[SGA’s] main claim was that it will improve free transportation to all students,” Barjenbruch said. “But if you’re outside of [its] 8:30 [a.m.] to 10:30 p.m. window, you’re out of luck, and you have to cover the cost yourself.”
Barjenbruch, like many students, had already purchased her plane ticket home for Thanksgiving break. With an early flight time, there was no shuttle option for her flight, as the times began at 8:30, with only four total options per day. She also added that, amidst the government shutdown, this additional cost can be expensive for students.
Barjenbruch brought her concerns to SGA and was able to speak with representatives about possible alternatives. SGA decided to introduce a $20 voucher that can partially cover an Uber ride for students with flights outside of the shuttle windows that are provided. For the upcoming break, students can only qualify for this reimbursement if their flights leave before 9:30 a.m. from Nov. 20–22 or after 10 p.m. on Nov. 30. This voucher system will also be applied to future breaks.
Elena Clark, a junior accounting and business technology major and SGA vice president, explained that SGA introduced this specific pilot program inspired by other colleges and will consider how these resources are utilized over Thanksgiving break to determine the best way to move forward.
“The Uber program was uncommon, and it was special that Butler did that,” Clark said. “It’s more realistic for us to shift to the shuttle system like other schools have.”
This change is one that SGA hopes will continue to provide for students, even if it is not perfect. While some students appreciate the efforts SGA is making to listen to concerns, they still note that this system may not be the most effective.
Ben Waters, a sophomore accounting and risk management double major, had used the Uber system throughout the previous school year for all breaks and found the system — ahead of the change — to be very reliable and easy for students to use, making this shift a harder one to grasp.
“I completely understand the reasoning for switching,” Waters said. “[But] from a student perspective, not in SGA, I think it’s a lot less convenient for us.”
Between the limited times and unfamiliar registration, students remain wary of the change, but as the campus adapts, SGA continues to welcome questions and suggestions, hoping to cater to as many students as possible.
“This is our way of trying to maximize efficiency, cost satisfaction, everything,” Ayotte said. “Hopefully it’ll work well. If it doesn’t, we will absolutely reevaluate and see what we can adjust to improve things.”
