A Shuttle Named Desire

There is nothing like a brisk morning walk from the Radcliffe Quadrangle to a meeting in Harvard Yard on a frigid winter weekend. And until this past Saturday, there was no alternative either.

In 2009, Harvard eliminated weekend morning service from its shuttle scheduling, leaving Quadlings who wished to travel to games, practice, meetings, rehearsals, and more on the river before noon with no choice but to trek toward Harvard Square by foot. That all changed at 8 a.m. on September 28, when the first weekend morning shuttle in four years pulled up in front of Currier House to bear bleary-eyed Harvardians to wherever they were needed so early in the day.

The new extended schedule resulted from what Associate Dean of Student Life David R. Friedrich called “great collaboration” between the Undergraduate Council, the Office of Student Life, and Harvard’s transportation fleet. We could not agree more. The revised shuttle schedule showcases the UC’s ability to deliver the kind of bread-and-butter services that improve Harvard students’ lives in concrete and lasting ways. We hope to see future efforts like this one, especially in the area of shuttle service improvement.

Though we have voiced our doubts as to the UC’s ability to effect substantial change at Harvard, we hail the revised shuttle schedule as an example of the council’s ability to use the power it does wield to the student body’s benefit. Perhaps the UC cannot transform the quality of Annenberg cuisine or hammer out all the kinks in Harvard’s mental health system. But it can solicit student opinion to ascertain what smaller alterations will make a big difference, and that is exactly what has occurred here.

Though we are thankful that students can now get to and from Johnston Gate on a Saturday morning just as easily on Harvard’s Crimson Cruiser as they can on Wellesley’s “Senate Bus,” we would like to see the UC follow up on this successful project with more initiatives to enhance and expand shuttle service. For instance, shuttles often run out of sync with their posted schedules. What’s more, a missed shuttle means a 25-minute wait for the next ride or a solitary walk through Cambridge Common in the dark of the night. More reliable and frequent service would go a long way toward ensuring convenience and safety for shuttling students.

The UC has demonstrated its commitment to advancing students’ interests as well its capacity to carry out certain goals. With luck, it will continue to pursue ends it has the means to achieve and, in doing so, help make Harvard the best it can be.