By Joe Bozek

They circle the campus and beyond, but nobody seems to know what they do. Every student pays a mandatory fee for their service, but only 1.9 use them per trip.

The question then is: Why don’t students know about the Metrolink circulators?

THE GOOD

• three circulators will service the Buffalo State campus along with areas down Grant St. and Elmwood Ave.

• stops at both Tops and Wegmans

• no more walking in snow and rain to get to class

For the people who do know about the service, they know what benefits it can bring.

“If students are patient and kind of time things according to schedule, I think this can really work to their advantage,” said N. Hassan, driver of the Grant Street Circulator (208). Even if you don’t use it for classes, for shopping alone, it really is an awesome service. I wish they had it when I was in school.”

(Under NFTA guidelines, bus drivers are not permitted to give out their full name)

“It is definitely (helping me),” said Dus Nyacha, 21, a senior who was riding the

Grant Street Circulator (208) back home because of car trouble. “Maybe people just don’t want to be seen riding the bus.”

Another-first year circulator driver is just as confused to why more people don’t use the service.

“It’s so crazy. If you get charged for it…I don’t understand why nobody goes on it. I don’t think anybody knows about them,” said Markeeta H., driver of the Buffalo State Circulator (206). “I thought there would be a lot more people wanting to ride.”

THE BAD

However, if not executed properly, the greatest plan on paper can turn into, well…Buffalo State’s Metrolink circulators.

“The Metrolink circulator?” says Junior Gina Damico. “What is that?”

PROBLEMS

• no bus schedules for the circulators (208,207,206) are available in the student union

      where the bus schedules are located.

• all three circulators are required to make stops at Tops and Wegmans (after 11 a.m.), including a 20-minute layover at Wegmans. This occasionally leads to two circulators being present at Wegmans at the same time.

• all three are required to wait 20 minutes regardless if any student is even inside the store.

• During an almost two-hour period, waiting times were inconsistent. Chart

For students who are forced to park in the M lot, no shelter is provided. Rather than wait in the car and possibly miss the bus, many students walk to class instead.

Hasan believes the M lot and the surrounding area can offer two great locations where a shelter could be built.

Bus passes can be picked up from the E.H Butler Library Commons.

Contact Bozejm99@mail.BuffaloState.edu for any questions or comments