Thursday, September 27, 2007

* Loyola University Puts Community & Students At Risk With Shuttle Service

From the sound of things, Loyola seems to be cutting corners when it comes to transporting their students to and from downtown. Here's some quotes from students and a bus driver. Watch out if you see one of these buses, you never know what's going to fall apart or off one of these buses next.
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"As the shuttle was getting onto Lake Shore Drive, the door swung open," Foukes said. "That doesn't seem very safe to me"....

"This year's buses are a lot worse than last year's"...

"[On a scale of one to 10], I would say these buses are a two," he said. The employee further said that having no mechanical training for the buses, he would have to call the company to send a mechanic out in case of a problem. He mentioned an incident on a bus he was driving where the axle of the back wheels was broken, causing the bus to drag the wheels along and making the entire vehicle shake violently. Not having the expertise necessary to fix it, he had to wait almost two hours for the mechanic; the few students who were initially on the evening trip from Lake Shore campus to Water Tower campus opted to take the #147 CTA bus instead.

Read all the horror stories here.

6 comments:

The North Coast said...

Loyola's problem, not ours, Craig.

Most Loyola buses look spiffy to me, though I'm sure they are not all in perfect condition. I can't believe, though, that a driver continued to operate with a BROKEN AXLE, because such a failure usually renders the vehicle immovable. Broken bellows is more likely the case- makes the ride bumpy and uncomfortable, but if you move slowly you can limp to the end of the line without endangering your passengers. I know, I had to do it a couple of times way back there.

It's also ordinary and customary for a busdriver to call the shop to bring another bus when mechanical problems arise. This is how it is done at most city transit agencies, as there is usually a strict division of labor. Usually, a shop call will leave you standing there for a half hours or so- two hours is strange.

Hillari said...

Loyola rakes a lot of money in off of the students, plus from endowments, donations, etc., and they can't keep their shuttles in working order?

That's a major accident waiting to happen.

Craig Gernhardt said...

On my way to work I got a first hand experience with one of these dangerous shuttle buses.

Stay tuned for a exclusive look at... Loyola Shuttle Bus, Out of Control and breaking the law on LSD.

Jake Kronika, Owner, Gridline Design said...

it's really sad that a private school that has such a high tuition can't even provide decent transportation for its students. i wonder who's lining their pockets with the money that is supposed to be going towards providing safe and decent transportation for the students.

LakefrontLarry said...

So what makes these busses any different than the polution machines and break down kings that the city owns?

Veronica said...

They're supposedly funded by the university, not by the government. Though, in terms of beaurocracy, I don't think there's much difference.

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