By Mili Chizhik, News Editor
After the discontinuation of the YU Shuttle during the Spring 2020 semester, the YU Security Department sent an email to the YU community on November 29 to announce the continuation of the shuttle service starting on November 30.
To allow for proper social distancing, instead of using the original shuttle van, a school bus will be used to shuttle YU students between campuses. Students will be required to sit in every other seat and not directly across, next to, or behind each other. Only undergraduate students who have reservations and wear a mask will be able to board the shuttle. The students who reserve their seats will get a confirmation email and will show that and their school ID to the security officer who will be monitoring who boards the bus.
In addition, there will be a limited schedule that the shuttle will run on. According to the YU Security Department, there will be one one-way daytime shuttle from Wilf to Beren at 8:00 a.m., three evening times from Wilf to Beren (6:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m., 10:15 p.m.) and three evening times from Beren to Wilf (5:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m., 9:15 p.m.). It will only be operating from Mondays to Thursdays starting on Monday, November 30 with the 5:15 p.m. Beren to Wilf time.
The location in which the shuttle will be dispatched on Wilf campus will be between 186th and 187th St on Amsterdam Ave facing north, near the Burger & Grill restaurant. Students will be able to wait for the bus in the Morgenstern Residence Hall lounge. For those boarding the bus on Beren campus, they should either wait in the Brookdale Residence Hall lounge or stand in front of the building at 50 E. 34th St.
As described in the email, students can reserve their seats either through the MY YU app or web browser. For the former, one should open the application and press “Menu>Scroll down to “Campus Info” category > Tap “Shuttle (Inter-Campus)” > Sign In using “User Login” > Use your Inside Track credentials to login > Follow the cues to register for the shuttle service.” For the latter, one should go to www.yushuttles.com > Menu > Scroll down to “Campus Info” category > Tap “Shuttle (Inter-Campus)” > Sign In using “User Login” > Use your Inside Track credentials to login > Follow the cues to register for the shuttle service.”
Some students have tried to raise awareness of the importance of restarting the shuttle service. Shani Wolfson (SCW ‘21) said that “I am very appreciative of the fact that YU has decided to reopen the shuttle in a COVID-19 safe way. With finals around the corner, I wish that the shuttle would run an hour or two later to help [B]eren students who want to study late in the [W]ilf library get home safely, but the fact that the shuttle is open at all is a win in my book.”
Any students with additional concerns or questions should contact the YU Security Department by emailing security@yu.edu