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Stampede carries 15 millionth rider
Randy Chan was the lucky student who won a lottery and received a bicycle as the UB Stampede’s 15 millionth passenger. Pictured with Chan, from left, are Parking and Transportation Services staff members Renee Greene, Chris Austin, director Maria Wallace and Joanne Padley. Photo: STEVE MORSE
The UB Stampede logged its 15 millionth passenger last week, another milestone for the intercampus bus service whose ridership has climbed by about a third since its establishment in 2005.
The Stampede connects the Spine and Ellicott Complex on the North Campus with residence halls and classroom buildings on South Campus, serving about 3 million people annually. Drivers tally the number of students, staff and faculty who board, and on April 14, Parking and Transportation Services projected that the 15 millionth rider would be on bus No. 115, departing from the Main Circle on the South Campus just before noon.
To celebrate, Chris Austin, assistant director of parking and transportation, joined about three dozen students for the trip. Driver Jessie Brooks, a 12-year veteran of UB’s system of shuttles and buses, thanked passengers for using public transportation. All students on the bus received giveaways, including a mug, a $10 gift card for Campus Dining and Shops, and a T-shirt commemorating the event. And one lucky sophomore—Randy Chan, a nursing major who lives in Clement Hall on the South Campus and takes the Stampede to classes on the North Campus—won a lottery for a hybrid Trek bicycle.
“Our increasing ridership is really demonstrative of our efforts to make our campuses more conducive to using public transit, bikes or walking,” Austin says. “We’re very pleased that students have gotten the message and rely on our service instead of using their cars to drive short distances. Last Wednesday was an opportunity to recognize our students, as well as our staff and drivers for moving the number of people they move each day and each year.”
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