The first day of classes was marked with uncertainty. Students were confused by the Wolfline brochures showing color-coded routes and stops for various buses.
Christine Klein, information and communication specialist for NCSU Transportation, said the brochures with the Wolfline routes may be confusing for students because of a printing error.
“We did have some difficulty, and we discovered that at Orientation with the printing process,” Klein said. “Our legend did not match the color that was on the route and that was pretty much a printing error and we apologize.”
Klein said the department didn’t think it was in the best interest to reprint the brochures because of the cost and because students will probably only need the brochure for the first week as they learn how their route works. Most of the services NCSU Transportation provides comes from a student transit fee.
“I noticed the error and I have to say I was pretty confused for a good 15 minutes,” Lara Anderson, junior in zoology said. “I ended up just having to guess which bus went with what line and hoped it would all work out.”
Having never ridden the buses before, Anderson said she wasn’t sure where the Wolfline stops were and said the map didn’t show the location of every stop.
“I ended up just walking around until I found the little sign, which was a little confusing,” she said. “Luckily, I only had to worry about riding one particular route so I just had to look out for that bus.”
NCSU Transportation staff was available at various bus stops this morning to assist people with determining which bus to take and what time it was scheduled to arrive.
“That is something that we’ve done over the years,” Klein said. “We just found that it was helpful for people from our department to be out and talk to people and it was also an opportunity for us to hear concerns.”
Sara Domby, a junior in accounting, said today was her first day riding the bus and was worried about getting to class on time.
“The routes were different from online versus the pamphlet but otherwise, based on online [information], it was a piece of cake,” Domby, who lives in Wolf Village, said adding that she used the Transit Visualization System (TVS).
“I used the online tracking system to help me see when the buses would come by,” she said. “It allows you to maximize time in your schedule since you can see if the bus is on time or running late.”
Starr Wimberly, transit manager for Wolfline transportation, said there’s a new way to utilize the TVS.
“Now there’s an option on cell phones that have Internet capabilities. You can get the picture of the buses and… where the bus is headed,” she said. “That’s the real up-to-date way to keep track of the buses.”
Wimberly added that the new cell phone option allows users to receive announcements about detours and delays.
Construction also has an effect on transportation, Klein said.
“We still have a tremendous amount of construction going on,” she emphasized, referring to the repaving of Cates Avenue and Dan Allen Drive throughout the summer. “Play close attention when walking around campus, be aware of your surroundings, conduct yourself safely, be smart.”
While reflecting on the first day of class, Anderson said riding the buses was an interesting experience.
“It was weird this morning. The first bus that came was completely full and didn’t stop to pick [my roommate] and I up, so we were freaking out,” she said, adding that they were picked up by a “floater bus” and were lucky to be on time.
“A bus driver I talked to later today said that they scheduled all the new drivers on the busiest route, so drivers were constantly on the radio asking where they were supposed to be going,” she added.
In regards to the error in the Wolfline brochures, Domby said that it was more confusing than it should have been.
“I understand errors happen,” she said, “but so many people use the buses that it should have been caught.”
