The Saluki Express mass transit system finished its first month of operation recently and administrators say that although it has not been problem-free, the bus system is working better than they had anticipated.

Jeffrey Duke, assistant administrator for the mass transit system, said ridership has already exceeded administrators’ expectations even though cold winter weather has not arrived. He expects ridership to grow as the climate outside becomes less comfortable. He also said non-student ridership is strong.

The system is even doing well when compared with mass-transit systems from other college towns, Duke said.

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With its successful start Duke said he believes the Saluki Express is here to stay. He said he attributes the success to a strong awareness students and Carbondale residents have for the system.

The word got out, he said. Students definitely know about it.

Duke also said the popularity of the business loop prompted officials to add another bus to the route which runs 30 minutes behind the existing bus.

The business loop connects the SIUC campus with University Mall, Wal-Mart and the Murdale Shopping Center. The addition was necessary because one bus did not meet the demand for the route, Duke said.

We’d have 50 or 60 people waiting outside the Student Center for that route, he said.

The buses have a 35-person capacity plus enough room for two wheelchairs, Duke said.

However, the system is not without problems, Duke said. He said the mechanical lifts that make the buses accessible to many disabled people still have a few bugs in them.

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He said the time taken by drivers to operate the lifts sometimes results in late buses. This problem is diminishing with time , Duke said, because the drivers are getting better at using the lifts with practice.

Craig Simon, a driver for the Saluki Express from Carbondale said he does not have trouble operating the lifts.

It’s pretty easy, he said.

Duke said there have been instances where the lifts do not operate properly. This happened, he said, when everything else in the bus was on, causing a slight power drain.

Concerns were also brought up about the safety of some of the Saluki Express stops at a SIUC Civil Service Council meeting earlier this month. Carolin Harvey, a member of the Student Center Advisory Committee, said some of the stops had inadequate lighting.

Duke said the stops were selected with the assistance of Sam Jordan, director of Campus Security and Merilyn Hogan, coordinator of parking and traffic at SIUC. He said lighting and safety were a top consideration in the selection of the stops.

Duke said more routes may be added because user suggestions have indicated a demand for service to the Carbondale Clinic and other places in southwest Carbondale.

The campus shuttle route, which circles campus, may be extended to southwest Carbondale to fill this niche next spring when officials will examine the route.

He said there are no routes being considered for elimination because of low ridership.

Saluki Express administrators also plan to announce a contest early next month to find artwork to put on the buses. Duke said a $300 prize is going to be offered for the contest, which is only open to SIUC students.

In addition to artwork, riders can expect to see advertisements in the buses soon. He said administrators hope to have ads inside the bus sometime next month.

Each bus could hold about 21 ads that would cost an estimated $400 a semester, he said.

It is too early to tell what kind of revenue will be brought in by advertising, but Duke said preliminary interest from local businesses has been good.