Let’s talk about the buses: Are students getting to class on time?

Vanessa Countryman, Correspondent

Georgia Southern updated their bus routes, taking away the Sweetheart Shuttle and bus stops along Forest Drive and adding a few steps to their commute.

“I think they’re too crowded, it’s kind of scary,” Bee Byers, a sophomore, said. “I don’t ride them as much as I used to.”

In order to not be late to her classes she would have to leave an hour in advance and the only reason she would ride the bus is for the convenience of housing, Byers said. 

Masks are required while riding on the bus and no social distancing required this semester, Director of Parking and Transportation Services, Derrick Davis said. 

While masks are said to be required, upon observation, students still enter the bus without masks with no further actions being taken to have them wear one. 

In addition to the COVID-19 protocols, Byers said she felt most of the students did wear their masks but, “the huge crowd kind of defeats the purpose.”

With only two stops on the pedestrium, students felt it was still a lengthy walk to classes. “That’s why I stopped taking the bus,” Byers said. 

On the other hand, another GS student, Brianna Tilley, said, “Well, since my class is right in the physics building, the stop at the bookstore is not a far walk at all.” 

“I would recommend the buses to other students,” Tilley added.

The Statesboro bus routes run from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, cutting out early at 6 p.m. on Fridays.

This year, the Sweetheart Shuttle Route will not be in operation. The only bus routes are the Blue and Gold.

The Gold route has 4 stops: Paulson Stadium, Cambridge apartments, Eagle Village, and Russell Union/Dining Commons. 

The Blue route only has 3 stops: Paulson Stadium, RAC, and College of Education.