Transportation’s night service option, the Werewolf, will see few alterations after the department conducted a survey earlier this academic year, Transit Manager Starr Wimberly said.
In October 2007 Transportation launched an online survey to assess the Werewolf service.
“We are very customer-service driven. Every comment that comes in is investigated, and then we try to make changes,” Christine Klein, information and communication specialist for Transportation, said.
Some specific reasons for the survey were to find out who the riders are, how satisfied or dissatisfied students are with the current Werewolf service, whether students prefer the night service or Campus Police’s safety escorts and how Transportation can make improvements to the schedule. The survey consists of 27 questions and asks students background information as well as questions about the Werewolf.
According to Klein, the department is pleased to see how positive the results were and the opportunity for improvements.
Transportation will decrease wait times and limit stops due to the survey’s results and hopes to implement the necessary changes by next fall, Wimberly said.
But because the Werewolf operates on fixed routes, Klein said, it is important riders know some of the buses tend to take longer because they have a lot of distance to cover, but this is an issue Transportation is working to improve.
The buses are also open to the general public in an effort to gain federal funding so Transportation can continually improve the Werewolf.
Students can also sign up for the Pack Parking listserv. Students on the listserv will receive e-mail updates in cases of bad weather or any major parking issues on campus.
The survey shows that a majority of students know about TVS, a GPS tracking system that allows riders to follow the progression of their buses, which many view as a safety feature because they can see exactly where their particular buses are and aren’t waiting for extended periods, Wimberly said.
The Transportation Web site is also a good source for students and riders to view updates.
