Although Charleston is considered by some to be a small town, some students find it a rough walk home from uptown entertainment on the weekends.

Scott Harrison, owner of H & H shuttle service, is looking for a way to keep Eastern students safe while having a good time and also providing area bars with steady customers. Harrison, who rents out two buses for the Panther Express, has proposed a Designated Driver bus service that will run Wednesday through Saturday nights from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. The service, he said, would be low in cost charging a dollar per ride or $3 for unlimited rides for one night.

“This service will get people to the uptown area without driving and without having to worry about finding a designated driver,” Harrison said.

To off-set the cost of the new bus and insurance, Harrison has asked the local bars to pay $50 a month for the service. The bars will have to agree to the fee before the new service is started. Harrison doesn’t think this is unreasonable because the service should bring more business to the bars, especially those further away from campus.

Students and bar managers also have positive opinions of the proposed service.

“I think it’s a very responsible idea. In my opinion, fifty dollars is nothing compared to the cost of the lives that could be lost if students tried to drive drunk,” said Jimmy Wickiser, manager of Mac’s Uptowner Cellar, Inc. Another Charleston bar manager, who wished to remain anonymous, said that while he thinks the bus service is a good idea, he also knows that some bars in the area already offer free cab rides home to students. However, he said that he was in support of the proposal.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Linda Jenkins Taylor, speech communication professor. “The kids are going to go to the bars, this way it keeps them off the streets, it’s really a safety issue.”

Julian Lagunas, a junior Career and Technical Education major agreed, saying, “Winter is coming up and soon it will be too cold for students to walk to the bars, and with it the bars farther away will get more business.

“There isn’t anything else to do around here one the weekends but go to the bars … I really think people will use it,” Lagunas said.

Mother’s bar had a similar service in the past; however, their bus only ran Thursday through Saturday and went only from Marty’s to Mother’s, Harrison said.

“There will be a schedule for the bus, that way the students know that if they are outside at a set spot and time, they can get on the bus, just like they know the Panther Express stops at the Union at certain times … it makes it easier for (the students),” Harrison said.