The Panther Express will be shut down indefinitely as

administration and student government officials look for a new

company to run the shuttle bus system.

The old company, H&H Transportation of Charleston, mutually

agreed with the university to terminate its contract to run the

two Panther Express buses on March 7 because the company could

not provide the bus service at the price it bid, said Shelly

Flock, director of media relations and publications, in a press

release.

University officials including Vice President for Financial

Affairs Lou Hencken are now collaborating with Student Body

President Katie Cox and Speaker of the Student Senate Adam

Weyhaupt to hear quotes from other transportation companies,

Flock said.

H & H, which won the shuttle bus contract over two competitors

with a bid of $53,998 last summer, recently submitted a new bid

of at least $74,000, she said, but the higher price was “cost-

prohibitive.”

Flock said she was unsure when a new company could be found and

service could be resumed.

“We’re going to work as fast as we can,” she said, “but it

depends on how quickly we can get an agreement that we can

afford.”

In the meantime, Flock said she was not aware of any plans to

provide alternate means of transportation for the thousands of

students that normally ride the Panther Express around campus,

as well as to off-campus destinations such as Mattoon, Wal-

Mart Supercenter and Wilb Walker’s.

According to Eastern’s Student Government Web site the Panther

Express served over 17,500 passengers during a three-month

period last year.