Midnight Special 'improves' with changes

The Midnight Special's new operating system has been in effect for three weekends and has drawn a mix of mostly positive reactions.\n"The drivers thought the changes in service had made an improvement," said Kent McDaniel, executive director of transportation services for IU. "It was much more orderly and they can make their rounds a little faster."\nStarting Jan. 18, the Midnight Special, commonly known among students as "the drunk bus," eliminated flag stops, instead focusing on picking up passengers at five locations downtown. The new system also abandoned inbound trips after 1 a.m. to instead devote more resources to driving students home.\n"We had students sometimes literally chasing the bus down the street, and I think they were afraid if they missed the bus, it would be a long time until it came back," McDaniel said. "We wanted to eliminate that."\nIn an effort to inform students of the new system, noticeable signs featuring a dark purple moon were placed at bus stops where the Midnight Special stops. Still, McDaniel said some stops are missing the new signs.\n"I had trouble finding a way to fasten on (the signs) conveniently with new poles," he said, adding that all the signs should be in their appropriate places within two weeks, maybe sooner. "I'd like to see it done today."\nGraduate student Glen Dimick is in his second year as a bus driver for the Midnight Special. He said the new system hasn't changed the operation of the route as much as the initiators of the changes -- Campus Bus Services and the IU Student Association -- might have hoped.\nHe said most students who ride the bus are at the designated bus stops anyway. He also suggested adding 10 more buses would make it less hectic. The route currently has four buses, which made almost 2,000 trips each weekend last semester. \n"The main change is that we aren't supposed to be picking people up after 1 a.m. outside the designated stops of the city, but if it's 20 degrees below zero and somebody's out there, I'm probably going to pick them up anyway," he said.\nDimick said the only feedback he's heard from students who have ridden the past two weekends is that they are confused about how far the route extends, which the new system didn't affect.\n"We do run people out to the east side (of town)," he said. "We're still trying to get the word out."\nCampus Bus Service and IUSA collaborated to regulate the Midnight Special route after IUSA received persistent complaints about the unpredictability of its schedule.\nIUSA Vice President Andrew Lauck said IUSA felt comfortable taking the transportation concerns to Campus Bus Services, who, Lauck said, were flexible and willing to listen.\n"This is a good sign," he said. "There are a lot of issues that still need to be solved when it comes to transportation for students on campus."\nFor the Midnight Special's complete schedule and new regulations, visit www.iubus.indiana.edu and click on the Midnight Special tab.