R’Bus, an initiative started with College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) Senator Vinisha Lalli and former Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) Senators Anjana Narasimhan and Amariah Peedikayil, aims to provide students with safe late-night transportation back to their residences. It has now evolved into plans for a full-time internal transportation system that potentially could act as a bus service central to the University of California, Riverside (UCR).
Senator Lalli explained that R’Bus originates in the point-to-point system that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic. The shuttle service transported students from campus within a one-mile radius of the University of California, Riverside (UCR). It was run by the University of California Police Department (UCPD) after-hours volunteers. The program had several issues, such as not accommodating those with disabilities, not being eco-friendly and operating on a first-come, first-served basis, leaving many waiting for a considerable duration of time before they could catch a bus.
Senator Lalli wished to reinvigorate the program, noting that many science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students often had labs and classes that ran very late into the night. The lack of lighting on campus makes it unsafe for many to travel back to their residences, many of which are off campus. Senator Lalli and her team’s initial pitch for the program would allow for American Disability Association (ADA) compliant GEM carts to follow a scheduled route around campus from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. to transport students on and off campus.
However, after talking to Maria Keller, Associate Director of the Student Disability Resource Center, Senator Lalli and her team realized that a broader internal transportation system is needed throughout the day at UCR. This would help students with disabilities get around campus and generally reach buildings and lecture halls far from them.
If approved, the project, which has been in the works for a year, would begin its testing phase during the summer. Funding could potentially be sourced from the Associated Students of UCR (ASUCR) or other on-campus organizations. The route the buses would take would likely be determined in collaboration with UCPD. The program would start operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and if support is gathered, will also be extended to later hours.
If she succeeds in her ambition, Senator Lalli hopes to make the program permanent through an ASUCR resolution and operate the system through an app similar to the Riverside Transit Agency’s (RTA) app.
