A new Princeton University shuttle to serve as a link between graduate student housing and the main campus will make its inaugural trip on Monday, Feb. 3.
The shuttle, dubbed "P-Rides," will be free and open to all members of the University community. It will run every 30 minutes between 8:15 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, stopping at the Graduate College, Lawrence Apartments, Hibben-Magie Apartments, Jadwin Physics, the Engineering Quadrangle, parking lot 10 on William Street (behind Green Hall), parking lot 21 on FitzRandolph Road (by Jadwin Gym) and Butler Apartments.
Managed by the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association in conjunction with service provider A-1 Limousine, the new shuttle service will feature state-of-the-art Global Positioning System technology developed by Princeton undergraduate students and Professor Alain Kornhauser to provide real-time arrival information via computer. Even though the shuttle will have a basic schedule, users with access to the Internet will be able to check from the comfort of their apartment or library cubicle the location of the bus and gauge exactly when to be at the bus stop.
"By providing reliable bus transportation, we hope that the shuttle will reduce congestion and demand for car parking on campus and in town and be more energy efficient than students driving their own cars," said Pam Hersh, director of community and state affairs at the University.
"We are looking forward to working with the University to make this shuttle system a huge success for the entire campus community," said Sandra Brillhart, executive director of the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association. "We anticipate that the first two or three weeks will be a work in progress. But after the initial period, the operation should be a smooth ride."
The association worked with the University's graduate students, Office of Community and State Affairs, Office of the Senior Vice President for Administration, Office of Public Safety and Office of the Dean of the Graduate School over a period of several months to come up with a workable system.
Route maps and schedules will be available at the bus stops and online . The real-time arrival information will be available as the service is refined.
The new shuttle will be in addition to the already existing 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. employee shuttle (Tiger Tram) serving the campus from the parking garage on Elm Drive, the shuttle running from parking lot 21 to Firestone Library on weekday mornings and the student "safety shuttle" serving late night needs of the campus community.
For more information about the new P-Rides shuttle service and other campus transit systems, visit the University Web site and look under "On Campus Travel."
The full story is available in a news release.
Contact: Ruth Stevens and Evelyn Tu (609) 258-3601
