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To increase the convenience and safety of transportation on campus, Syracuse University’s Student Association and the Parking and Transportation Services office have extended the operating hours of the ‘Cuse Trolley program’s Euclid Loop.

The trolley will now run from 6 p.m. to 1:25 a.m Monday through Friday. The loop’s weekend hours, 8 p.m. until 2:30 a.m., will remain unchanged, according to a Feb. 19 Instagram post.

SA Vice President Yasmin Nayrouz said the main reason for the extension of the trolley hours was to offset the “high use” of the safety shuttle — transportation that caters to the surrounding neighborhoods of campus when the trolley services are unavailable — citing an increase in wait times. She said PTS had noticed a high volume of students in the Euclid and Westcott neighborhoods utilizing the university’s campus shuttle service late at night.

“It will improve student’s sense of safety who live in the Westcott Euclid area, especially those who live pretty far into it and it’s a long walk for them,” Nayrouz said.

During SA’s Feb. 19 meeting, Naryouz said the extension of its hours originated from ongoing discussions between SA leaders and PTS. She said the association had brought student concerns surrounding transportation to the office during a mid-February meeting with administrators, which eventually resulted in the longer hours.

“The university is receptive and responsive to all of the things that they need from time to time,” SA President William Treloar said. “When (students) are looking for better transportation services, the transportation side of the university is very willing to adapt to them.”

Treloar said he hopes the updated trolley schedule will get a larger group of students “off the streets and onto trolleys.”

Jimmy Bailey, a student living on South Campus, said recent safety concerns on campus this semester, such as false active shooter and bomb threats, have also left students “shaken up” when it comes to traveling across campus.

Bailey, who occasionally takes the trolley’s South Campus loop, said the program makes him feel “safer” on campus, especially when traveling home late at night.

Although Nayrouz and Treloar did not suggest the extended hours to the Euclid loop were introduced in response to these incidents, SA has worked with PTS to address student concerns throughout the year.

Nayrouz said the extension also intends to accommodate on-campus student employees, especially those living in off-campus neighborhoods like Wescott and Euclid.

“I know there’s a lot of grad students that live on Euclid, who oftentimes are stuck doing research or stuck doing other things, maybe their TAs, maybe they grade papers,” Bailey said. “I feel like the fact that they did extend on Euclid will be very beneficial to the whole student body in that regard.”

Treloar said SA has not yet collected any official student feedback regarding the updated trolley hours, and they are hoping to follow up with the Parking and Transportation office to evaluate the loop’s rider volumes after the change. Treloar also said that the SA is looking at the future of other trolley loops, such as the Warehouse Loop.

“Having any more extended hours where students can take trolleys instead of walking at night are always going to improve safety,” Treloar said. “But this one really is more about student convenience.”

Published on February 26, 2024 at 12:12 am

Contact Claire: cksamsta@syr.edu