Inter-Campus Shuttle Service To Resume Service
Yeshiva University’s inter-campus shuttle service will resume on Monday, Nov. 30, after the shuttle ceased operating in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an email sent by YU Campus Security to the undergraduate student body on Nov. 29. Additionally, for the first time, the university will provide a one-way 8:00 a.m. shuttle from the Wilf Campus to the Beren Campus.
The first shuttle will depart from the Beren Campus at 5:15 p.m. on Monday. The service will only be open to YU undergraduate students who make reservations in advance. The university will use a school bus instead of the van that was previously used for the service to accommodate social distancing protocol.
“We hope to continue service between campuses as long as ridership is consistent and health conditions permit,” the email stated. “Students who reserve a seat on the shuttle and do not use the space, or who do not adhere to our safety protocols, will put the sustainability of the shuttle at risk.”
Safety protocols cited in the email include mandatory face masks for the duration of the ride and a requirement for students to sit in every other seat “so they are not directly next to, behind or directly across from someone.”
The service will run on a limited schedule from the Beren and Wilf campuses from Monday through Thursday. The hours that the shuttle will depart from the Wilf Campus are 8:00 a.m., 6:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. The shuttle will depart from the Beren Campus at 5:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. There will be no morning shuttle that departs from Beren. Regarding the morning shuttle from Wilf, Chief Facilities & Administrative Officer Apfelbaum told The Commentator, “The morning run from Wilf to Beren is to accommodate students who live in Washington Heights who wish to go to the Beren campus.”
The pickup locations are the same as last year, with the corner of 186th and Amsterdam Ave. being the location for Wilf and the entrance of Brookdale Residence Hall being the location for Beren.
The reinstitution of the inter-campus shuttle service follows the announcement of the temporary closure of the 181st St. 1 train subway station due to construction starting on Dec. 5. Apfelbaum clarified to The Commentator that the “reinstatement of the intercampus shuttle is not related to the 181st 1 train subway closing because there is another available subway at 191st.” Rather, according to Apfelbaum, “the intercampus shuttle is being reinstated for the convenience of our students at their request.”
“It seems like they are actually taking the students’ complaints and comments into consideration, which I really appreciate,” said Neeli Fagan (SCW ‘21). “I'm excited to be able to go uptown and know I'll feel safe leaving later at night because I don't need to take the subway.”
The email sent to the undergraduate student body did not mention any plans for resuming the local shuttle service, which transported students to various locations on both campuses. When asked by The Commentator about the possibility of resuming the local shuttle service Apfelbaum stated, “At the present time, we do not expect to run a local shuttle due to social distancing requirements. The local shuttles are typically driven by YU’s security officers in a small van which do not provide adequate social distancing.”
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Photo Caption: Morgenstern Residence Hall
Photo Credit: The Commentator
