The shuttle system of the University of Tulsa will be changed in the following semester. Being part of a group project in a management class, my group members and I decided to take our project as a chance to try to improve the situation of the shuttle system of the University.
We were aware of the fact that this wouldn’t be so easy. There are so many facts and circumstances which you have to have in mind. First the people working with the shuttle system must find interest in our idea, then there has to be money available and improving the shuttle system also means more buses and drivers.
Before starting we jointly created with those responsible a survey to see if there is really a need for an improved shuttle system or if this is just an important concern for exchange students like me because we don´t have cars and depend on the shuttles. The evaluation of the survey showed that Americans would also be interested in getting more possibilities to take a shuttle. So we sat together with the people from ‘Cane Transit who were really nice, helpful and surprisingly receptive towards our ideas. After some meetings our project showed success: The shuttle system will be improved. In the next semester there will be each month on one Saturday a shuttle leaving to different places in Tulsa. The places are the Tulsa Aquarium, the Philbrook Museum, Cherry Street & Utica Square, the Tulsa Zoo and the May Fest. Additionally the shuttles are running; they are probably leaving around noon and coming back in the late evening.
We came up with this idea because we determined that actually there is only one shuttle on Saturdays going from 1 pm to 7 pm to different grocery stores and to one little shopping mall. This schedule is very limited which often makes it difficult for people to take it. Additionally, you have to wait until Saturday to go shopping, but when you need something immediately you always have to find a nice person who can give you a ride. Another disadvantage of the current shuttle system is the places where it is going. The shuttles don´t bring you to different coffee shops or some attractions of the city like the zoo or the different museums. Thinking about other possible places to go to, a group project in one of my classes came up with a solution.
Coming as an exchange student to Tulsa in August 2014 I was really excited about the US in general and about Tulsa and the University. I want to explore as much as I can during the short time I am staying here. Before coming to the US I was already aware of the fact that the shuttle system wouldn’t be the same as in Germany or in Europe, but after arriving here and searching desperately for shuttles that would take me downtown or to a coffee shop, I had to accept that there is no way to get there by bus. I really had not expected that there would not even be one shuttle going to downtown. But as I mentioned above this will be changed in the next semester so that hopefully also many other students can take advantage of the new shuttles.
