The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI) shuttle system, a shuttle service offered by the University for transit between the Homewood Campus, Peabody Conservatory and other Hopkins campuses, has now adjusted its services to include more express buses during the evening rush hour. Additionally, the shuttles will now be running on select holidays. These changes have been in effect as of Jan. 30.
More northbound express buses, from JHMI to Homewood, have been added during the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Previously, only three express buses ran within this time frame. Now, the two express buses operate per hour and an additional one runs at 7:00 p.m.
"[This creates] a more convenient commute," Ankur Ponda, the Transportation Manager in the Hopkins University Office of Facilities Management, explained.
The schedule was also altered so that drivers have more time to make it back to either the Interfaith Center or the medical campus in order to have a timely departure. Some shuttle times have been pushed back or bumped up slightly to satisfy this condition.
In an effort to improve the shuttle system, Ponda studied the ridership patterns of the shuttle system throughout the year. The JHMI shuttle will now operate on a Saturday schedule on the day after Thanksgiving, as well as on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
These changes to the JHMI shuttle system marks Ponda's first project since having joined the University three months ago. In an effort to be more efficient with Hopkins resources, Ponda instituted a number of changes which added to the overall functioning of the transportation network.
However, some students, such as junior Melanie Gersten, think these changes do not directly affect most undergraduates.
"It's not really relevant to me. I only use the shuttle to get to Penn Station and I have never experienced a big problem," Gersten said. "However, it is nice that the University is providing improved service for those who need it."
Nevertheless, some undergraduates often commute to and from different Hopkins campuses for volunteering, research, and music lessons.
These students have expressed the need for additional express buses.
"A lot of the time people can't fit on the buses, even with standing," junior Jaron Tepper, who works as a research assistant at the Hopkins Medical Campus, said.
Students have also expressed concern over how buses affect street safety.
"There have been many times when I've chased down the bus, and considering the bus accident that just happened, I'd say increasing the number of buses and avoiding people running after them would be good," Jessica DeBakey, a junior, said.
For the Homewood-Mount Washington shuttle, passengers can now request stops along the designated route. However, this service remains unavailable on the Homewood-Peabody-JHMI Shuttle.
