Bus route shift allows more trips to Rice Village

By Cindy Dinh     2/19/09 6:00pm

Students can look forward to more ventures to Rice Village during the weekdays, as a new graduate apartment bus route features extended service from campus to the Village areaEffective since Jan. 20, the shuttle service for the graduate route now links the campus' Inner Loop Road and parking lots to the Rice Graduate Apartments on 1515 Bissonnet Street and the recently opened Rice Village Apartments on 2410 Shakespeare, which began leasing Jan. 10.

This route also features a stop at University and Morningside, bordering the edge of Rice Village. Buses on this route operate from 7:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday.

Previously, the Rice Village shuttle only operated on Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 5:30 p.m. The extended Graduate Student route will replace the Rice Village shuttle on Friday evenings and will service until 12:30 a.m, but will still retain the same stops at University and Kelvin as well as Rice Blvd. and Kelvin.

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After 10:30 p.m. on Friday, the scrolling marquee on the bus will read "Rice Village" instead of "Graduate Apartments."

The Friday shuttle to Rice Village runs every 30 minutes while on Saturday it runs every 15 minutes.

Though the Graduate Apartments route loops through the two apartments and the Inner Loop every half hour, those who wish to go in the direction of the Rice Village Apartments should get on the bus at stops along Laboratory Road, which stretches from the North Colleges to the Shepherd School of Music.

Buses returning from the Rice Village area will enter through entrance eight and drive around Campanile Road before heading to the Rice Graduate Apartments.

While the new stop near Rice Village would make it more convenient for students to go there during the day, some students said the distance had not stopped them from heading there before its implementation.

"I take the bus from Brown to West Lot and just walk from there," Brown College sophomore Kelly O'Connor said. "Once you get [to West Lot] you're already half-way there."

Lovett College junior Samantha Lott said she thinks the added bus stop would save students time and make the trip more comfortable.

"The Village isn't that far of a walk," she said. "But if it's raining or if you don't have the time to have a stroll, then it's good."

Future bus routes and stops are being considered to accommodate Duncan and McMurtry colleges and the Collaborative Research Center, Transportation Manager Elizabeth Gbordzoe said.

The Collaborative Research Center stop would most likely be added to the Texas Medical Center route, which runs every half hour, she said.

"When students request [new routes], we look to see if it's feasible, if it's safe, and if we can get more [students] to use the service," Gbordzoe said.

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