Shuttle mission takes off

It’s worth having to leave home 10 minutes earlier each morning to ride the (CIT)² shuttle, declared Ralph Crowder, a campus custodian, as he headed home on the 1:45 p.m. bus last week.

“Actually, it relieves your stress, because you’re not driving your car,” said Crowder during the 10-minute trip to (CIT)², the former St. Luke Medical Center in northeast Pasadena.

Shuttling staff to and from campus is a move designed to ease the parking shortage stemming from campus construction projects. Drivers recently lost the use of two Holliston Avenue parking lots, which will accommodate temporary student housing during upcoming South House renovations. The shuttles are designed to bridge the gap until completion of the new underground parking structure south of California Boulevard.

Crowder, a resident of Altadena, says parking at (CIT)² is about as convenient as driving to campus, except it’s more fun. One of 37 riders who boarded a yellow school bus last week, Crowder, surrounded by coworkers who chatted, laughed, or dozed, described a feeling of camaraderie. “This is just like being in grammar school, except my legs don’t fit between these seats.”

The shuttle is popular with many of the custodians who work the 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. shift, as well as others. The Institute provides the first 125 remote parkers with $10 vouchers that can be used in campus dining facilities and at the bookstore or redeemed for cash.

The campus allotment of 125 spaces has been filled each day by about 9 a.m., and the parking office is receiving positive reports from users, says Gregg Henderson, chief of campus security and parking services. “It’s going very well; it’s maxed out every day.” To help meet demand at peak times, the Institute is using a higher-capacity school bus in addition to a 19-passenger shuttle.

The vehicles pick up and drop off passengers at the corner of Holliston and San Pasqual and are expected to operate for four to six weeks. They are scheduled to run every 15 minutes from 4:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“Sure, I can use the money, but it’s something more,” said Ernie Garcia, who also works as a custodian. “I think people are talking to each other more than they did before.”

Another frequent rider is Pat Koen, a semiretired associate biologist who has worked on campus for 39 years. “So far so good.” Receiving a voucher doesn’t hurt either, he says. “It helps keep me in green fees on my days off.”
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