Game Shuttles Run Into Trouble

The Game this weekend went smoothly, but Harvard students had a harder time getting to and from New Haven, even though the Undergraduate Council offered 23 shuttles this year as opposed to 17 two years ago.

After rapidly selling out initially scheduled shuttle offerings, the council Executive Board scrambled on Thursday night to add additional shuttles.

Other problems plagued travelers this weekend.

A Kirkland House shuttle organized by the Undergraduate Council hit a car just after it arrived in New Haven.

No students were hurt, but the busload waited for around 15 minutes as the bus driver stepped out and smoothed the situation over with a nearby police officer.

The same bus also arrived late to take the students back to the Yale campus after the game, leaving students waiting in the cold for half an hour, according to James A. Gray ’03,

“It was a little bit inconvenient,” Gray said about the bus troubles. “But we had fun,” he added.

Another group of students holding tickets to return by a Council bus from Yale to Winthrop House arrived on time at 10 p.m. to find the bus already gone.

The students waited uncertainly for around 45 minutes before learning from Robert M. Gee ’02, the chair of the Council Campus Life Committee, that the bus had left early and a new bus was being ordered.

Gee offered the students the choice of getting home by another means and being reimbursed later, staying the night at Yale or waiting until 1:30 a.m. for the new bus to arrive from New York.

For the waiting students, the cold weather was the worst part—especially since the next bus arrived at 2:30, an hour late.

“It was way out of line to be expected to wait for a shuttle for that long in the cold,” Sean J. Cloonan ’03 said.

Cloonan said that the students should be reimbursed for their wait.

“Students who received poor service from the council should be apologized to and, if necessary, given their money back.” said council member Ernani J. DeAraujo ’03, who is running for council president. “This should not happen again in the future.”

Few students said they were very angry about the delay, however.

Phoebe Lithgow ’04 said she had fun during the two hours she waited for the bus.

“There were lots of parties going on,” Lithgow said.

Peter O’Connell ’03 also said he didn’t especially mind the delay.

“It was inconvenient,” he said, “but we got back here alive and in one piece, albeit a little late.”