JUNEAU — A new Juneau campus shuttle program has launched this semester, providing services between the Auke Lake campus, Anderson Building, Student Housing and Recreation Center. The shuttle service is designed to improve safety for students, while also improving the ability to move between classes and gain access to campus services.

The shuttle runs Mondays from 7:30 a.m-6 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. Each hour the service loops twice, starting at Student Housing and running to the main campus, Recreation Center, Anderson building, back to the Recreation Center, main campus, and finally Student Housing.

A shuttle tracker app can be downloaded to smart-devices by searching for “ride systems” and choosing University of Alaska Southeast from the available options. The tracker provides up to date information on the location of the shuttle at any given time. This information can also be found online at http://uas.ridesystems.net.

Part of the imperative to try a shuttle service stems from the upcoming road realignment in the Auke Bay area and how this may impact access and safety. UAS will carefully monitor the success of the shuttle program over the next two years to help shape any long-term strategy. As this is a pilot program, there will be multiple opportunities for campus stakeholders to provide feedback on how the program might be improved.

UAS has contracted with First Student to provide drivers, and currently a short yellow school bus is being used while the contract is being finalized. Soon, the shuttle will switch to an existing wheelchair-accessible UAS vehicle.

Full information about the shuttle can be found at http://uas.alaska.edu/juneau/shuttle.html.