Shuttle Service to be Provided Throughout Fairfax

By Broadside Assistant News Editor Kevin Loker.

Students now have a new option for getting around in town—at least for the time being. Starting Thursday, Feb. 5., at 3 p.m., “Gunston’s Go-Bus” will begin its route, shuttling its passengers to and from local shopping and entertainment centers, including Fair Oaks Mall and the Fair Lakes Shopping Center. Overall ridership will determine if the service stays for next semester.

“The Go-Bus is currently a pilot project. We could only add a certain amount of hours of service to the existing contract with Reston Limousine,” said Student Government Vice-President Claire Forman, “It is very important that students use the shuttle so that we can justify adding the Go-Bus to next year’s contract with Reston Limousine and have more shuttle buses run for longer periods of time and possibly to more locations as a permanent fixture.”

Because of the existing contract, the shuttle bus will run Thursday through Sunday with limited hours. Likewise, the Go-Bus is one actual shuttle bus, meaning it will depart from Sandy Creek every hour rather than every half hour. While exact schedules are currently being finalized, services are expected to function on two separate schedules, a “day ride” and a “night ride.”

Even with temporary constraints on the service, student reaction remains positive.

“Whenever it ends up running, I think it sounds fun,” said freshman marketing Brandi Hillard. “It's such a hassle to get your car out of West Lot.”

To further explain how the service will work, Student Government will be shooting a video that will be uploaded to the Student Government Web site.

In addition to “word-of-mouth advertising,” they will be promoting the new service by giving out magnets that students can keep on their refrigerators to serve as reminders. Fliers and table-tents with more information will also be scattered throughout campus.

Schedules and related information can be viewed at shuttle.gmu.edu or by clicking “Go-Bus” at the Student Government Web site.