Carleton students looking to take the bus to this year’s Capital Hoops Classic on Feb. 5 will notice a few changes from last year.
This year, 20 OC Transpo buses will be available as shuttles both to and from the game.
Many students who attempted to take the shuttle buses to last year’s game experienced long wait times in freezing temperatures.
Gabrielle Nichols, a third-year communications student, was one of many students who missed out on part of the game last year.
Despite lining up to catch the bus, Nichols said she was unable to get on.
“I waited in the line and gradually moved my way up, but every time a bus arrived, chaos occurred and it became a first-come, first-served ordeal,” she said.
Eventually, Nichols said she and her friends gave up on the shuttle buses and figured out how to get to the Canadian Tire Centre (CTC) on their own using public transportation.
“When we got on the bus it was filled with Carleton students who had decided the same plan,” she said. “Eventually the bus driver announced that the bus wasn’t going to CTC, but then he decided to continue his trip toward CTC to drop us all off, which was awesome.”
They got to the CTC at halftime, and were able to watch the rest of the men’s game. This year, she said she is planning on attending both the women’s and the men’s games and will be taking the provided shuttles again.
In an email, Jeremy Brzozowski, the manager of the Student Experience Office, said OC Transpo buses offer a number of advantages.
These include having access to a greater fleet of accessible buses, the ability to use transit lanes on the highway and being able to transport more students to the game, he said.
This year, buses will be picking students up from outside Athletics starting at 5:30 p.m. After the game, students will be able to take the bus back to Carleton, as well as having the option to get off at both Baseline and Billings Bridge station.
“Providing a safe, accessible, and familiar option to our students is important,” Brzozowski said. “We feel the plan put forward this year should accomplish just that.”
