AU will resume the red route shuttle loop on January 25, following a petition signed by more than 400 students after the route was temporarily closed.
The Red Route, which runs from the Tenleytown Metro to AU’s main campus to the Spring Valley building (previously the location of the AU Washington College of Law), ceased operations without notification on January 15, according to School of International Service senior Emily Collinson.
In response, Collinson started a petition on Change.org which called for the reinstatment of the route until the end of the semester. The closing of the Red Route was notable due to students who made housing decisions based on the expectation the route would continue to be serviced, according to Collinson.
“The closure of the Red Route is hugely inconvenient, as I live right behind the old law school, which is a 20 minute walk from the Tenleytown metro,” Collinson said. “As a student interning downtown, I was able to live where I live because I was under the impression that the metro would always be a short shuttle ride away.”
In response to student discontent, the University did reinstate the route, however it will have limited service: the shuttle line will now run Monday through Saturday: 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. every 30 minutes, with no service on Sunday.
While Collinson is happy the University confirmed that the route would continue, she hopes students will continue to sign the petition to return the shuttle line to full service.
“While this is a huge improvement from no service at all, it is important that students coming to and from Spring Valley are able to use the red route shuttle during week nights,” Collinson wrote in response to the change. “Before the cancellation of this service, many students registered for classes ending at 10:40 pm, and the institution should feel obligated to make sure that these students are able to get home quickly and safely.”
AU Student Government Senator Will Mascaro asked for the subject to be up for debate during the next AUSG Senate meeting.
“Students had come to me, and I thought it was a problem, so I think a resolution is the right way to go,” Mascaro said. “The goal is to restore the route for the duration of the semester. Long term, when students can make housing decisions knowing the Red Route will be closed, I do think we should scrap the Red Route.”
American University Shuttle Operations & Maintenance Manager Alef Worku did not comment in time for publication.
