Saluki Express transit service has not been quite as ‘express’ as its name promises, some students say.

Though administrators said they did not receive complaints before last week’s snowstorm, some students say the bus has been late by an average of 15 to 20 minutes this semester.

Kwalee Kemp, a freshman from Lindwood studying workforce education and development, said the route that goes past Wal-Mart and the University Mall – route one – is the one that’s usually the latest.

‘Route one is usually the most late,’ Kemp said. ‘It’s usually late by 20 minutes most of the time.’

Jeff Duke, associate director of the Student Center, said he has received no complaints until recently.

Duke said buses have run on time all year before a winter storm hit last week.

‘Everything has been slowed down due to the weather conditions,’ Duke said. ‘Prior to this week, I have not had anybody calling to complain about buses not being to their stops on time.’

But Ebony Hamlin, a freshman from Chicago studying political science, said have buses run late even before the storm.

‘It’s always been late, ever since I got here,’ Hamlin said. ‘It’s extremely frustrating.’

Hamlin said she rides the bus every day.

Duke said students need to learn to be patient and buses have the same troubles getting around campus as any other car.

‘They don’t understand that buses are just the same as people getting around and other cars getting around,’ Duke said. ‘They just can’t get to their stops on time because of traffic congestion and some roads not being cleared off.’

Steven Ginn, the microcomputer support specialist at the Student Center, said calls he receives about Saluki Express arrival times aren’t necessarily complaints, but questions about if the bus will be late because of the weather.

Michael Turko, a freshman from Chicago studying information systems technology, said he uses the service about twice a week. Turko said he has waited for more than an hour at the bus stop in front of Thompson Point on Lincoln Drive.

Turko said it gets frustrating trying to get around town when the bus doesn’t make its stops on time.

‘It’s tough trying to get somewhere when you’re waiting for the bus all day,’ Turko said. ‘They just need to get more buses and more routes.’