New Bus Line to Serve UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. == Campus Parking & Transportation Services has entered into a new bus agreement with Cognisa, a national transportation-and-security company, to provide exclusive bus transportation services to the UB campus, beginning May 16.

The contract award follows an extensive bid process that involved wide-ranging consultation within the university and throughout the transportation industry to secure service on campus for the next five years, with five additional one-year options.

The 25 new buses that will begin service next month will feature a special blue-and-white design developed specifically for UB. In addition, some buses will be available to individual university units for message wrapping.

The new bus fleet will be launched officially during Opening Weekend in August. A student contest to name the fleet begins today.

"Our goal was to find a vendor that made customer service the priority," said Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs. "Student transportation has its own dynamics. It's important to us to have a vendor who understands the importance of serving student populations safely and courteously, and in a quality manner. We think the campus will be very happy with our choice."

Maria Wallace, interim director of campus parking and transportation services, said that during negotiations for the bus contract, the university provided vendors with a list of specifications that would ensure that the university could deliver the quality of vehicles and level of service that students demand.

"We also specified that we wish to use the buses as marketing vehicles for UB and its departments," Wallace said. "Cognisa won the contract for its price, its track record of successes and its focus on customer service."

She noted that Cognisa has worked with such major institutions as Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Texas State. At Texas over the past six years, the company has delivered a 99 percent on-time performance, she added.

Students wishing to enter the naming contest for the new bus service can submit ideas for names at http://www.myub.buffalo.edu (click on My Opinion), beginning today and continuing through Wednesday. The top five names will be posted for a student vote at http://www.myub.buffalo.edu (click on My Opinion), March 31 through April 6. Students submitting the top five names will receive $50 in campus cash. The grand prizewinner will receive a laptop computer and a gift basket of UB gift certificates, tickets and other UB products. The grand prizewinner also will be invited to launch the new bus fleet during Opening Weekend.