Based on student input and a vote from the Mass Transit Advisory Board, some Saluki Express bus routes will change for the spring semester to help the buses stay on schedule.

Bill Bruns, deputy director of the Student Center, said students have complained the buses were running late.

Beginning Saturday, the South Route will incorporate stops at Kroger and the Carbondale Community High School, removing the Kroger stop from the Logan Route to help the bus schedule stay on time, a university press release stated. Bruns said the South Route will not go north of Chautauqua Street anymore so the schedule can stay within its time limits.

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“Because of the long distance on (Route) 13 that the bus route has to run, there’s traffic, which makes it run late sometimes, and people didn’t like that,” he said.

Lori Stettler, assistant vice chancellor for auxiliary services, said the advisory board, a committee of members of the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Council, made the decision after considering the routes’ ridership and efficiencies and feedback from students.

Tasa Proctor, chair of the board, said the changes were made because of student complaints that they were not getting to class on time.

“The transportation system for Carbondale was founded on the fact that the school needed students to get to class,” said Proctor, a graduate student from Chicago studying public administration. “Now that the students are having a hard time getting around and getting to class on time, more changes have to be made.”

The South Route will also have a weekend time change because of student requests. Saturday morning bus routes will begin an hour later, and Sunday bus routes will run an hour later in the evening. The weekend bus schedule will begin Saturdays at 9:36 a.m. and the last Sunday run will be 5:36 p.m.

Students at John A. Logan can still ride the bus at no cost but must now present a free Logan Pass to prove they are students of the college. SIUC students can ride the Saluki Express for free as usual with a valid University ID.

Stettler said Saluki Express is funded mostly from student fees but also from John A. Logan and bus pass sales.

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Proctor said the board will vote to make a few more changes to the routes next semester, and as of now there will be three new buses on three of the routes.

Bruns said students can pick up a free brochure of the bus schedule in the Student Center administrative offices.