Delays in the Mount Vernon Express shuttle schedule are causing students living on the Mount Vernon Campus to be late to class and work on the Foggy Bottom Campus.
In interviews, more than 20 students said the Vex’s unpredictable schedule has caused them to add up to an hour to their commute schedule to account for delays. Officials attributed the long wait times to external vendor and driver shortages and said they are working with a ride share service to provide vouchers to students impacted by the delays.
Destiny Jackson, the director of transportation and logistics, said wait times for the Vex this semester are inconsistent and vary daily. She said officials are currently finalizing an agreement with a ride share service to provide vouchers to students who are impacted the delays.
She said wait times were generally consistent prior to the pandemic, attributing this semester’s delays to an external vendor and driver shortages. The University previously operated eight to 11 shuttles on a regular basis, but the number now varies due to vendor inconsistencies, she said.
“We believe that new leadership within the vendor’s organization and driver shortages have caused the delays to shuttle consistency,” Jackson said.
Sarth Kheni, a freshman majoring in finance, said he takes the Vex about six times a day and has to get to the Vex at least 20 minutes before his next class to ensure that he will be on time. He said he has been met with a long line when he arrives at the pickup location in front of Somers Hall each morning.
“I feel like I’m always late to class in the morning unless I get to the stop an hour before my class starts,” he said. “You really need to plan ahead a lot more than you think because you just never know if it’s going to be there when you leave your dorm.”
Freshman Timothy Quintero said while he tries to give himself more than 15 minutes to wait for the Vex, he is often still late to class. He said wait times have improved slightly since September, but he still builds in expected wait times to adjust for delays.
“Now I can just kind of adjust my plans based on what’s going on with the Vex, so I just kind of deal with it,” he said.
He said a five minute Vex schedule would prevent him from being late to class and added that he hopes the University will increase communication with students about delays to the Vex and a rationale.
“I think if there are delays, GW should communicate more,” he said. “It was very clear in the beginning that it was not running on the schedule, but every kid living here just had to accept that and deal with it. Some recognition that they are short staffed or Vex had broken down a couple times would really help.”
Thanh Tran, a freshman who has not decided her major, said while all of her classes are on the Mount Vernon Campus, she takes the Vex about four times a week to get to her job on campus in Foggy Bottom. She said she is often late to her job because the Vex is not at her pickup stop or does not leave on time.
Tran said it is especially unreliable on weekends, which makes it “stressful” on her schedule as she works in Foggy Bottom on the weekends.
“I always get to the Vex stop on the Vern around a half hour before my shift starts, but I’m usually always late because there’s no bus waiting or it didn’t leave on time,” she said.
She said she also does not know when she will be returning home at night to the Mount Vernon campus because of inconsistencies in the Vex shuttle departure times. She works late at night and unreliable Vex schedules pose a safety issue, she said.
“One time, I was out at Foggy at around 1 a.m, and the Vex only ended up coming at 2 a.m,” she said. “I think situations like that are really bad since it’s dark out, and I almost Ubered home since that was the only option remaining.”
She said Vex drivers will sometimes skip the stop near the Elliott School of International Affairs, which is near her place of work, adding even more travel time to her commute.
“It’s frustrating since my work is right by Elliott, so walking from Tompkins, especially when I’m already late, is really inconvenient,” she said.
Freshman Quinn Stefan said she has to plan “buffer room” in her schedule to account for delayed times in the Vex schedule. She said she leaves her classes and immediately goes to the Vex because she does not want to risk missing the shuttle and having to wait until the next one arrives.
“I usually give myself like 45 minutes too, just because sometimes that happens where you give yourself 45 minutes and then you’re 20 minutes early to class, but if you wait another five to 10 minutes then the Vex doesn’t come for another 10 minutes and then suddenly you can be late,” she said.
