As of April 1, NSU’s Physical Plant has changed the Shark Shuttle’s scheduled routes and will continue planning changes to the shuttle system.
The Shark Shuttle is a free transportation service for all NSU students, employees and visitors. There were previously seven routes scheduled for the shuttles that provide service to and from the main campus, the Rolling Hills Graduate Residence, the Broward Mall and
Publix, the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and the Oceanographic Center.
The route that goes to the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale will no longer be in service. On weekdays from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., only one shuttle will run at all stops instead of three.
Assistant Director of NSU’s Physical Plant, Anthony Iovino said, “Due to the lower number of people riding the shuttles [from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.], economically it would make sense to have one bus running instead of three.”
Dispatchers will be available throughout the night for students to call if they need to be picked up at a specific location on campus.
Iovino said that the shuttle that ran to the museum began its route last year and was scheduled for three days a week. But because only around 40 people utilized the route that year, the route won’t be continued.
Student groups, organizations or NSU departments who want to visit the museum or another local area can submit a work order to the accounts office of the Division of Student Affairs at least a week in advance of when they want to attend. The department will submit the request to Physical Plant to set up the number of shuttles needed and to book the dates and times requested. This service will be free.
“If a group of students know they’re going to do an activity and that it’s going to be off campus, a work order is the easiest way [to set that up],” Iovino said.
The Undergraduate Student Government Association Vice President of Judicial Affairs Kelly Scott also met with Iovino to discuss the possibility of switching the Publix and Broward Mall route. Instead of going to Publix, Scott said that it would be more beneficial for students if the shuttle went to the Super Wal-Mart, where students can buy groceries and other necessities for cheaper prices. She is surveying students about this change.
Richard Passero, President of the Transportation Authority, Inc., the company that provides drivers and insurance for the Shark Shuttles, said “If [students] come up with a new idea, we could change things within a few weeks.”
Every week, Physical Plant analyzes how many students ride the shuttles and what stops are most utilized, using NextBus. NextBus uses GPS and video cameras on all of the shuttles to see how many people ride each bus and where the bus is located at all times.
The shuttle routes were shortened around two years ago because students complained that it took too long for the shuttles to get around campus. This year, Physical Plant is working with Student Affairs to develop a bus route for students that will transport them to the airport for summer vacation.
Passero “We do a lot for students. We’ve [been in] touch with a lot of different departments,” Passero said.
Students can also use the Broward County Transit system if the shuttles are not available. Passero said that the Tri-Rail shuttle provides free transportation to the airport. The South Florida Educational Center Tri-Rail express shuttle bus also stops outside of the Carl DeSantis Building around every half hour.
Iovino and Passero also said that there is a mobility hub being constructed off of Interstate 595. The hub will include a park-and-ride lot, where people can park their cars for the day and use the bus system to get to school or work, and a bus stop for the 595 Express Bus Service and the South Florida Education Center.
For more information about the arrival times, check the NextBus feature in the iShark application or call 954-556-6654.
To talk to a Shark Shuttle dispatcher, call 954-262-8871 and to submit a work order, call 954-262-8800.
For general questions, email Iovino at aiovino@nova.edu.
