When walking around Trinity’s campus, it is not unusual to hear comments like “I can’t afford that!” or “I wish I could go, but I’m just a poor college kid.” The Trinity shopping shuttle is a quick and easy solution to this common problem.

First year Rachel Wolpert found the shuttle useful when she tired of constantly asking for rides.

“I used the service mainly because I do not have a car and don’t want to constantly ask my friends to drive me around.”

The shuttle is also useful for students who do own cars but want to economize and save money on gas.

Junior Chris Williams, the shuttle driver, acknowledges this money-saving feature is a major benefit of the service.

“The shuttle is important because it allows students with cars to save on gas in this economy,” Williams said.

The shopping shuttling is co-sponsored by Residential Life and International Programs.

While ResLife seems like a logical sponsor for such a program, students may wonder why International Programs signed on. The answer is logical and is related, again, to the question of cost-effectiveness.  Shipping a car internationally is expensive. The expense results in a lack of cars among foreign students. International Programs sponsors the Trinity shuttle in order to spread the word among international students that there are easy and free ways for them to get off campus and do some shopping.

Williams recognizes the global diversity in the group that he drives.

“You meet a new, diverse set of people. There is a mixture of domestic and international students who utilize the service,” Williams said.

Junior Alexander Milbert agrees with Williams when explaining his positive experience with the shuttle a few weeks ago.

“It was a very rewarding experience. I met people I had a lot in common with, and that was really cool because these were people I would never have talked to outside of the shuttle,” Milbert said. “It is a good way to meet international students and learn about their culture and find out how they came to Trinity.”

In addition to providing the advertised service of trips to and from Super Target, Williams strives to make the experience entertaining and memorable.

“I think Chris is the best driver, because of his spirit and the energy and how he encourages so many people to come along with him. He sings in the car, too. What a great atmosphere,” Milbert said.

The average shuttle load is around 30 people per weekend. Often, if students don’t arrive early enough, they may not get a spot on the shuttle.

“The only thing that I didn’t like about the shuttle was its size; I wish it were able to seat more people, as I’ve had an experience where I was not able to go simply because there were not enough seats,” Wolpert said.

The shuttle bus leaves the Witt Center at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and returns to campus at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m, respectively, every Saturday afternoon.