Thanksgiving Break Transporation Overbooked

A familiar email marks the sweet advent of break for Exonians: “Transportation Details” from Transportation Coordinator Daisy Jobarteh, where students can sign up for buses to airports or train stations. When the operation goes smoothly, students receive free, convenient transportation to their appropriate destinations. This Thanksgiving Break, however, those bound for New York experienced various inconveniences.

Some students on the three Transportation Office buses back to New York City found that the buses they had previously registered for were now full. Consequently, they were forced to move out of their originally scheduled buses. Most bus switches were from the Penn Station bus, filled to its max capacity, to the Grand Central Station bus, though some switched from former two to JFK.

“The issue that happened is for New York I had 30 students registered for Penn,” Transportation Coordinator Daisy Jobarteh said. “When I sent out the last notice, there was no way for me to close that up. Students kept registering.”

Still, the final number of students registered did not come close to the more than 55 who showed up for Penn Station. As chaperones did not always check if students who came on buses had registered, some students who had registered, but arrived later, lost their seats.

In total, eight students ended up at Grand Station when they were meant to arrive at Penn, according to Jobarteh.

The Transportation Office currently offers buses to Boston Logan International Airport, Manchester Airport, Connecticut, and New York Grand Central Station, Penn Station and JFK Airport.

Jobarteh explained that in an effort to counteract future overflowing, the office would enforce prior student registration for bus rides.

To simplify the operation, the office will also cease to accommodate non-standard departures on the day before or after break. “I try to accommodate as many kids as I can, [such as those with] late departures for international flights,” Jobarteh said. “Going forward we will not be doing the exceptions.” Jobarteh cited issues of fairness and Academy staff being stretched thin, urging international students, ultimately a small group of Exonians, to book flights far in advance to ensure appropriate departure times.

Other measures have also been undertaken to improve student experience. “I got tons of feedback from students on different trips,” Jobarteh said. “Over Thanksgiving, we met with the President of Coach [the bus service company] to review everything that had happened that we were not satisfied with. They made promises with us.” The office is also considering potential alternatives to Coach.

An important area of improvement is greater transparency and communication during bus rides, Jobarteh explained. “The bus drivers make different stops; when they do a stop, they contact the company, who receives an updated ETA,” she said. However, Jobarteh said she does not receive this information directly. “The only way I get up-to-date information is if I’m texting a student on the bus,” she said.

Students recalled various issues aside from bus switches on their previous trips. Prep Danna Lara commented on the lack of stops during her ride. “One ride to New York took 7 hours without a food stop, and it was just really unorganized,” Lara said.

Lower Catherine Uwakwe shared similar experiences. “On the bus from Exeter to New York, the usual stopping place is in Connecticut,” she said. “However, we didn’t stop until 6 hours into the trip due to the complaints of students on the bus.”

Uwakwe also described occasions when their bus driver did not know directions. “There was one time when the driver got lost and we drove around this sketchy area at the bottom of a highway for a while,” she said, recalling a past trip.

Exonians who have expressed difficult experiences on the bus rides hope for improvement in the future. “Make sure that there is space for all the kids signing up for the buses,” Lara said. She also suggested “having a food stop and mak[ing] sure the bus driver knows where [they are] going.”