On Sept. 4, the Office of General Administration announced a new shuttle bus route, in consideration of the large number of students taking classes in the Ewha-POSCO building and those living in Hanwoori Hall.
One significant change was the cancellation of a direct route to the three-way intersection of the engineering buildings to allow daytime services for Hanwoori Hall as 70 percent of the passengers board or get off at the dormitory. Such a change would reduce passenger density and ultimately better ensure students’ safety.
An anonymous student from the College of Nursing who lives in Hanwoori Hall explained that the previous route only allowed the shuttle bus to enter the dormitory area at night, but the new route adds the convenience of daytime access.
With the closure of the shuttle bus station located in front of the College of Art and Design, the dispatch interval has become more consistent, reducing the risks derived from steep curves within the area.
Furthermore, closing the station in front of the three-way intersection of the engineering buildings and merging the station with Science Building D has improved efficiency and safety.
“The shuttle bus route change was aimed at ensuring the safety of both passengers and pedestrians within Ewha,” said Roh Jung-Hee, the chief of Ewha’s Office of General Administration. “Our campus has a number of sharp curves and slopes, so there are various restrictions on the operation of the shuttle bus business.”
However, not everyone is satisfied with the changes. In particular, students from the College of Engineering expressed their discontent over the new shuttle bus route.
Kim Minkyung, a junior from the Department of Architectural and Urban Systems Engineering, complained that the reorganization of the shuttle bus route inconveniences engineering students. Originally, direct shuttle buses to engineering buildings were mainly used by engineering students, allowing them to board even if queues for the bus were long. Now that the distinction between buses has disappeared, engineering students whose buildings are located far away from the Main Gate experience more trouble than ever since they must now share buses with students from other majors who mainly head to the Ewha- POSCO building or the dormitory. This has seen an unavoidable decrease in the number of engineering students taking the bus on time.
These days, Kim hears from her classmates that they had to come to class through the Back Gate rather than through the Main Gate due to such change.
“With the change in bus routes, fewer engineering students are able to get on buses than before,” Kim said. “Even though the Back Gate has very steep hills and stairs, it has become a better option if you do not want to be late for class.”
Although Kim does agree that the school has reduced congestion caused by backing the bus up at the three- way intersection of the engineering buildings, she still thinks that the decision was made without sufficient consideration for engineering students.
“The new route may be comfortable for Hanwoori Hall residents, yet I still think that the school should be more considerate of engineering students who have to go to classes passing by a crazy uphill path,” she said.
Similarly, a sophomore from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering who wishes to remain anonymous expressed that she feels like the school is not providing enough support for students from the College of Engineering.
As a result, she too chose to use the Back Gate so as not to be late for class, even though she had to take more city buses and climb the steep hill to the engineering buildings.
She instead suggested removing the Hanwoori Hall route and adding a shuttle bus from the Main Gate to the Research Cooperation Building through the three-way intersection, since reaching the dorms was not a problem before the change.
“If this change has inconvenienced students taking classes at the College of Engineering, the shuttle bus route change is not a perfect improvement,” Roh Jung-Hee mentioned. “We are fully aware of the limitations of such changes and are constantly thinking about how to make things convenient for engineering students studying on our campus. We are always open to new suggestions.”