The many changes that have been made to the Panther Express schedule have been recieved well by those involved, and the change may prove to be for the better.

Frequent stops, adjusted times and deleted stops are just some of the changes since last year that students may have noticed in the shuttle bus service since school resumed.

“We looked at all the problems they had last year with all the schedules being changed and moved around and thought if we had a schedule the first day back, people would be using it the first day back,” said Student Body President Hugh O’Hara.

During the summer, O’Hara met with students as well as Student Senate Speaker Joe Robbins, Interim President Lou Hencken and Dean Johns, the head bus driver, to talk about the schedule.

O’Hara and Robbins wrote the schedule during the middle of July and ran it by the administration.

“Now we have a concise schedule; just from observing at the union on a nice day, there has been a good amount of people riding,” O’Hara said. “I think this is a really good schedule.”

The shuttle buses circulate every 30 minutes this year, instead of every hour, as they did last year, said Scott Harrison, owner of H & H Shuttle Service.

The route to Mattoon and the Showplace 8 movie theater has been eliminated because of low ridership. The runs to downtown Charleston have also been cut back. “There was nobody riding it, and it was taking up too much time,” O’Hara said.

Students and drivers seem to think the changes are for the better.

“Last year, they didn’t have it organized. Overall, I looked at it as grim. The bus is nicer this year. I see it everywhere,” said Vermail Price, a junior family and consumer science major.

Don Ganer, one bus driver, said the students seem to be satisfied with the new setup.

“I have a lot more kids riding this year and more stops. They (students) seem to be happy,” he said.

Harrison said other drivers also have said the schedule is working well.

Adina Green, a sophmore political science major, said with the new schedule, the buses are now around more often.

“There’s always a bus, and they’re nicer,” Green said. “Wait until winter, and it will be packed. They’re nice to have in the winter.”