OU's Bear Bus offers transportation both on and off campus

By Eric Reikowski, media relations assistant

Students, faculty and staff who are seeking safe and reliable transportation on and around campus need look no further than the Bear Bus, Oakland University’s free shuttle service. A joint venture between the OU Student Congress and University Housing, the program was launched in fall 2009 and has continually evolved to meet the needs of the campus community.

“Originally, the service was geared toward students living on campus and students without a means of transportation,” said Kasey Kaplan, Bear Bus coordinator.

When the program started, the buses ran only off-campus loops on Friday nights and weekends, with stops at Hamlin Hall, USA Building 4000, Busch’s Market, Parisian, Whole Foods Market, Buffalo Wild Wings and downtown Rochester. The buses also took weekly trips to area stores, such as Target, Meijer and Walmart.

This fall, the Bear Bus began running daily on-campus loops, with each shuttle running a separate route. Presently, the shuttles make stops at Hamlin Hall, USA Building 4000, Parking Lot 11, O' Dowd Hall, Pawley Hall, Elliott Hall, Dodge Hall, Parking Lot 35, and Parking Lot 1. This winter, the routes were tweaked to provide even more convenience.

“The buses now run full loops in opposite directions,” Kaplan said.

As Bear Bus coordinator, Kaplan is responsible for hiring and training drivers, creating weekly schedules, compiling statistics, gathering feedback and marketing the service around campus. To help get the word out, Kaplan and other staff recently revamped the Bear Bus website and included a tab on the University Housing Facebook page.

“One of the things I enjoy most is to see how passionate the drivers are about the program being a success, said Kaplan. “They constantly have ideas about how to improve the service.”

OUSC Student Services Director Brett McIssac crafted the original Bear Bus proposal and is also pleased with the program’s direction. In the future, he would like to see the program provide 24-hour access to transportation.

“This would effectively lower the cost of living at OU by reducing the need to have a car on campus.” McIssac explained.

In the meantime, the Bear Bus team continues to promote the service as an easy way to catch a ride to local hot spots and other places.
“All you need to do is show your OU ID card when you board the bus,” Kaplan said.

For more information on the Bear Bus, including routes and hours of operation, visit oakland.edu/bearbus.