I know that there has been a recent uproar regarding the caption under the picture of the Consortium van accident. While the caption itself was inaccurate, and deserves a retraction, it has brought up the question of the safety of the vans. I quote from the article titled, "The Consortium Shuttle Service", from the November 26th issue of Newspeak:
"The Consortium's main concern and focus on the shuttle service is on its safety, dependability, and reliability."
These are the very areas that the Consortium vans lack! My experiences are shared by those I drove with, and my concerns are shared by at least two others I drive with. Allow me to explain why I no longer trust the Consortium vans to do the job they are paid to do.
I have had to take the van to Westborough once a week (5:00-5:30pm and 9:00-9:30pm) to take a graduate class. I thought the van was a great way to save gas and socialize with my classmates. After the first half-hour van ride, I felt lucky to be alive. The driver changed lanes extremely quickly, almost into a Monte Carlo - and this was the first 30 seconds on the highway! The driver wove in and out of traffic the whole 15 minutes we were on I-290. The speed limit is never obeyed, and there seemed to be a nonchalance about being responsible for the lives of 10 people.
Since that day, I vowed to never take the van if I could find another way to class. I have had to take the van three other times. The second time I rode the van the driver (different guy) was much more careful. Unfortunately, the van didn't show up to drive us back-we had to call campus police to "remind" the consortium people to pick us up (not to mention that we only got an answering machine at the consortium van phone number given to us by the police the first time we called). The third time I had the same driver as the first time, and I was again fearing for my life. The last time I took the shuttle, I got the "good" driver again, but again, the consortium "forgot" that there were a number of people in Westborough needing a ride back to Worcester.
I have a number of very difficult questions, questions which need answers.
1) How are the drivers selected? There is a large variance in the safety portrayed by the drivers. Are their driving records reviewed, to restrict the drivers to those without accidents (or similar standards)? Putting an unsafe driver through a safety class or lecture still gives you an unsafe driver.
2) Who is running this anyway? The reason for this question is the obvious lack of communication and responsibility shown by the two times that there was no van to drive the students back from Westborough. Note that Westborough is 30 minutes away, driving. Who is responsible for these "mistakes"?
3) Are we offering enough money to attract safe drivers? If there is a lack of candidates for drivers, would an increased salary allow for more (and hence better) choice? $7/hr is a reasonable rate to ensure the safety of our classmates and friends.
If this service is so "valuable" to the college community, why does it lack organization, responsibility, and safe drivers? I considered using this "valuable service", but I was forced to re-consider.
Henry Gabryjelski '97