by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Tessa Sheehan would rather take the city bus to UNM than ride the courtesy shuttles provided by the school from South Lot.
"I can take the city bus for 70 cents a day," Sheehan said. "It's probably a lot more comfortable too."
Sheehan, a freshman at UNM, said riding the crowded shuttles makes her feel like an anchovy.
"I think there needs to be a more advanced rotation schedule so students won't have to wait more than 10 minutes," she said.
Clovis Acosta, director of the Parking and Transportation Services Department, said there are no problems with the South Lot shuttle.
"I have faculty ride the shuttles and inform me of any problems," Acosta said. "This year should be better than ever."
He said during peak hours - 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. - there are seven shuttles running the South Lot route, and there should be no reason a student should be waiting for half an hour.
"There may be times when students have to wait for a second shuttle," he said. "Between shuttles, it should take six minutes at most."
Acosta said if there is a problem with waiting time, he wants to know about it so he can correct it.
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"If anybody is waiting for more than 30 minutes in the South Lot, call me on my cell phone and I will personally observe and correct the problem - if there is a problem," he said. "My cell phone number is 249-1563."
Karen Wentworth, a spokeswoman for UNM, said the Parking and Transportation Services Department doesn't oversell parking permits.
"Each parking lot is designed to maintain 95 percent occupancy," she said.
Fewer parking permits were issued for the South Lot this year, Wentworth said.
Curtis Weaver, a sophomore at UNM, said he has been arriving early to South Lot after his experience on the first day of school.
"I had to wait 20 minutes for the shuttle to pick me up on the first day of class," Weaver said. "If you get here early, there isn't much of a wait."
UNM shuttle driver Wayne Dudley, who has been driving UNM shuttles for almost seven years, said the South Lot is the busiest student parking lot.
He said on an average day he will transport 800 to 900 students to school and back to the parking lot. Dudley said the shuttle is capable of carrying 70 students but only 48 of the students are able to sit in a seat.
"When carrying the maximum amount of students, a driver has to be discreet," he said. "I drive at a halfway decent speed when the bus is maxed-out with students."
Dudley said there are times when there needs to be more shuttle drivers - especially for South Lot.
"When drivers take their 30-minute break, there needs to be a driver who can take their place," he said. "Sometimes it wouldn't be a bad idea to hire more drivers."
There are 32 shuttle drivers this year, Wentworth said, compared to 30 drivers last year.
Students should arrive at the parking lot 30 to 45 minutes before class starts to ensure they won't be late to class, Dudley said.
Wentworth said UNM spends more than $1 million per year to maintain the shuttles.
Editor's note: Clovis Acosta, director of the Parking and Transportation Services Department, requested his cell phone number be printed.
