Campus Connection

Media Credit: Clarence Lam RideUMB signs being collected by a Parking and Commuter Services truck outside the School of Social Work in the early morning hours of Saturday, August 18, 2007.

Beginning this semester, riders of the campus transportation services will see two significant changes while commuters now have increased options for parking their vehicles on campus. 

Caravan, a popular shuttle service operated by the Office of Student Services, has expanded its operating hours to begin service at 5:30pm and ending at midnight daily.  Last year, Caravan operated a single shuttle van between the hours of 10pm and 1am on weekdays only.  With capacity now increased to two vans during peak periods, riders should see decreased wait times. 

According to Cynthia Rice, director of Student Services, the extended hours resulted from more efficient shuttle driver scheduling and contract renegotiations with Yellow Transportation, the shuttle service provider. 

The service is a point-to-point shuttle that is available to transport students to or from a campus location.  Riders wishing the use the Caravan can call 410-706-CVAN (2826) to reach an operator that will dispatch a shuttle to the rider’s location.  The service area of the Caravan spans outside the campus boundaries, allowing for travel to nearby neighborhoods including Ridgely’s Delight, Mount Vernon, and Pigtown.  (A map of the service area can be found here.)  The service was started over ten years ago by the University Student Government Association (USGA) after rising student safety concerns. 

RideUMB, a separate shuttle service started two years ago by the Office of Parking and Commuter Services that operated along a set route and schedule with predetermined stops, unveiled a new route on August 20.  While the previous route included numerous stops throughout the campus, the current route focuses on increasing accessibility to BioPark Buildings 1 and 2 with two stops located to the west of Martin Luther King Blvd.  Most of the four remaining stops of the new route are located along the perimeter of University Hospital.  RideUMB runs on weekdays from 6am to 10pm.  (A listing of the designated RideUMB stops can be found here.)  The new route is part of a trial that is expected to last for at least a year. 

A planning committee headed by Administration and Finance Vice President James Hill decided upon the changes after recognizing that there “was almost zero ridership on the old RideUMB route coupled with the fact that there was an underutilized garage [located at the BioPark Buildings],” said Robert Milner, director of the Office of Parking and Commuter Services.  Additionally, the changes were made to facilitate the transport of students and staff to BioPark 2—at the time, the site of the new School of Public Health, which has since been postponed. 

Along with the changes to the RideUMB shuttle service, the Office of Parking and Commuter Services unveiled a new plan that opened 150 parking spaces to students in the BioPark Garage located at 1 N. Poppleton St.  The garage was previously underutilized, allowing Milner to negotiate a discounted parking rate for student use. 

Permits could be purchased for $100 from the parking offices located on the second-floor of 622 W. Fayette St and are valid for a period through December 21.  (Additional information can be found here.) 

The spaces should remain available for student use through the end of the spring semester.  Although current plans for the spaces are unclear for the next academic year, “we are hoping to continue this next year,” said Milner. 

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