Samford parking will always be a point of contention between its student body and the transportation office. The newest solution, The SamTram, has left a lot to be desired for many students and faculty.
The SamTram is a shuttle service that is designed to get students and faculty to multiple points of campus. It is in operation from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with special circumstances according to the website.
The shuttles most common route is one that brings commuters parked in the overflow parking at the soccer fields to Sherman Circle on central campus. However, some commuters have noted issues with the shuttle not being able to accommodate the number of people who require the service at peak hours in the morning.
One consistent SamTram user, Katie Thomas, a first-year law student rated her experience of the SamTram a five out of ten.
“I am thankful for the service, and it’s definitely been helpful for me on days when I am unable to find a parking spot,” Thomas said. “There have been times I waited for it as long or longer than it would’ve taken me to walk all the way across the street and across campus.”
The transportation office is aware of the issue and has done what they can to mitigate the problem.
“There has been a handful of days since school started that there was an issue,” said Louis Hinchey, the director of transportation services. “We’re mostly short drivers.”
The SamTram service is outsourced through Groome Transportation. This fact makes it difficult for Samford’s transportation office to quickly resolve any backed-up issues as they don’t have anyone on campus who can fire up another shuttle.
“We have heard those complaints and have approached Groome,” said Hinchey. “So hopefully, moving forward, those needs will be met.”
On Friday, Sept. 25, the service had three shuttles in action with one driver being a trainee.
The transportation office also encourages anyone who finds themselves waiting for longer than 15 minutes to call the office as they have access to communicate with all active drivers.
Sports Editor
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