Shuttle system reopens with social distancing measures

The shuttle service provides students with rides between Chapman Grand, Panther Village, The K and Davis apartments, and it also offers trips to the local Ralphs grocery store in Orange. CLARISSE GUEVARRA, Staff Photographer

Since Chapman shuttle operations became remote, the mass of students crowding the bus to get on the first morning trip to campus has been a relic of the past. However, transportation services resumed when students returned to campus housing and now provide relief to those without a car.

Students living in Chapman Grand, Panther Village, The K or Davis Apartments can hop on shuttles giving rides to the grocery store. Accessible via the Passio GO! app, a single shuttle will stop at Chapman Grand, Panther Village, the shopping center on West Chapman Avenue and Main Street if requested and the West Campus Structure for students at The K and the Sandhu Conference Center for students at Davis Apartments.

Sheryl Boyd, the assistant director of Parking and Transportation Services at Chapman, told The Panther that despite low ridership, the service was primarily reinstated to supply students a convenient mode of transportation to and from the grocery store for basic necessities. 

According to Boyd, as in-person undergraduate classes resume Oct. 19, an additional shuttle will service the students living in nearby apartments who were not able to secure Chapman housing. These off-campus properties include La Veta Grand and Eleven10.

“We will also evaluate our ridership for (Chapman) Grand and (Panther) Village,” Boyd said. “We’re monitoring it closely, and we will add services as demand dictates.”

Shuttles are permitted to carry a maximum of 10 passengers, with interior signs reminding students to sit one person per row on either aisle. Sneeze guards have been installed between every row of passengers to block a direct pathway of air, a plexiglass partition ensures additional protection for the shuttle driver and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved decontamination system is used throughout the shuttle.

Jean Chatel, the First Transit general manager, said the AeroClave decontamination system sanitizes the oxygen within the bus through a nozzle that sprays a fine disinfecting particle. The system is used in hospitals, ambulances and other emergency vehicles. First Transit, a subsidiary of FirstGroup, partnered with Chapman University in 2013 to operate the university’s shuttle service.

Other changes require passengers to wear masks, scan their IDs for virus contact tracing purposes, complete a daily COVID-19 questionnaire and show their COVID-19 clear status to the driver.

Prior to returning to work, drivers are required to sign a COVID-19 agreement, receive health and safety training and undergo the same type of screening process that faculty and staff experience. This process consists of daily temperature checks and a COVID-19 test. The training and safety guidelines established by First Transit and Chapman University include instructions for cleaning protocol, such as wiping down any surfaces that may have been touched. Each driver has their own separate shuttle to drive.

Nikki Lewis, the lead driver for First Transit, said that Chapman’s provisions – including gloves, wipes and sanitizer – have helped her to feel safe at work. As the first driver back at work, Lewis now helps lead the health and safety training.

“I also love that the riders cooperate so well, even when they haven’t ridden the bus before,” Lewis said.

Aissata Sall, a freshman peace studies major living at Chapman Grand, uses the shuttle with friends to go to the Orange Plaza to study. Sall believes the regularly cleaned shuttle is a better alternative to Uber or Lyft.

“There was only one person per row, so it wasn’t crowded,” Sall said. “The driver said that my friends and I, a group of four, was the largest amount of people he’s seen use the shuttle.” 

Boyd hopes passengers remember to take responsibility and consider the health and safety of others, so the shuttle service can continue to provide students and staff with a quality experience.