The Thin White Line

At the front of every Harvard University shuttle bus there is a thin white line, clearly demarcating a point behind which all passengers must stand before the bus can safely depart. During off-peak hours the line is noticeable, even authoritative. Sharply contrasting with the black enameled floor of the rest of the bus, the line is hard to miss. However, if you frequent Harvard's shuttle buses only during peak hours, it would not be unusual if you hadn't noticed the line, regularly obscured by the feet of students standing on or past it, bodies tightly pressed against one another, filling buses over capacity. Nor would it be unusual if you hadn't noticed the sign warning passengers of the line, often blocked from view by students who have turned the wide dashboard of a bus into an overflow seating area. Indeed, if you rode a shuttle bus every morning, it wouldn't be unusual if hadn't noticed Harvard taking any concern for student safety at all.

Unlike many of the lines drawn by the Harvard administration, the ones at the front of shuttle buses are neither arbitrary nor inconsequential. Mandated by state and Federal Highway Administration regulations, the lines exist to ensure public safety. It is a violation of these regulations for a bus to be operating when person(s) are occupying the prohibited area that the line demarcates, and, according to Carl A. Tempesta, manager of Passenger Transport and Fleet Management Services, "drivers are responsible for enforcement of this safety regulation, which could mean turning away riders."

However, as any avid shuttle bus rider is aware, drivers neglect this responsibility with startling frequency. Sometimes motivated by sympathy for students rushing to get to class on time, other times motivated by frustration with students unwilling to comply with polite requests to step off, drivers allow buses to fill beyond their capacity, oftentimes ceasing to record the number of students who end up squeezing their way on so as not to leave an official record of the illegal overcrowding.

The result is a safety hazard of the worst kind. Some students pack into bus stairwells, blocking exits and exerting a dangerous pressure on buses' retractable doors. Others make themselves comfortable by sitting on the dashboard, almost entirely obstructing the driver's view of traffic. As one driver candidly remarked, "students cram in just about everywhere except my lap." Indeed, the Mather-Science Center shuttle was so crowded last Monday morning that the driver had to rely on students near the window to tell him when traffic was clear--a fact that was particularly disturbing in light of the perilous road conditions caused by the previous night's snow storm. Sudden stops send students stumbling, but such stops could easily send students through the windshield as well.

Ideally, administrators could increase the number of shuttle buses that run at peak hours, thereby matching supply to demand and eliminating overcrowding. To some extent this could be accomplished simply by rearranging the existing shuttle schedule so that it is more in tune with students' needs--for example rescheduling the 10:05 Mather-Science Center shuttle so that it arrives at 10:00 a.m. instead.

However, according to Tempesta, meeting current levels of demand would require more than rescheduling. Fully accommodating students at peak hours would require purchasing more buses and hiring more drivers. Although it would be generous for FAS to allocate fund for this end, students shouldn't expect new buses to roll in any time soon. Because extra buses and drivers are needed for only a few hours a day, investing large sums of money in this area may not be cost effective, making it unlikely that wallet-wise administrators will dip into the University's coffers.

However, regardless of whether Harvard chooses to exude generosity and purchase more buses, it does have the obligation to ensure that the buses it currently provides are operated safely. To this end, administrators at Harvard University Passenger Transport Services must reiterate to drivers that adherence to safety regulations is more important than demonstrating sympathy towards students or choosing to be non-confrontational with impolite riders. What's more, this rhetoric must be backed by increased monitoring of buses to ensure that safety rules are actually complied with. Violations should be reported, and drivers, despite their good intentions, held accountable.

Even if Harvard's interest in student safety isn't compelling enough to force it to comply with these measure, then its interest in maintaining its reputation and its bank accounts should still be reason enough to comply. If students are injured on an illegally overcrowded shuttle bus, both the University and the driver could potentially be held liable, sullying Harvard's name and placing a dent in its financial reserves.

Admittedly, the brunt of student safety cannot fall entirely on the University's shoulders. Students, for their part, must demonstrate more respect for both drivers and their fellow riders. They too must make an active effort to obey safety regulations and accept the fact that sometimes high demand means that stragglers have to walk.

The actions that need to be taken are simple, but the consequences are high. Student safety is imperiled, teetering perilously on a thin white line.

Lauren E. Baer '02 is a social studies concentrator in Dunster House. Her column regularly appears on alternate Wednesdays.