USG is bringing back free shuttles for the second year to help students travel to and from campus to the airport. Credit: Zach Rilley | Lantern File Photo
For the second year in a row, the Undergraduate Student Government will make getting home for the holidays a bit easier.
USG is partnering with the Department of Transportation and Traffic Management to provide students with free airport shuttles during upcoming academic breaks, which will depart hourly from the Ohio Union loop to John Glenn Columbus International Airport. The shuttles will be available for Thanksgiving break, winter break and spring break, according to a social media post by USG. For Thanksgiving break, shuttles will run Nov. 21 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nov. 22 from 6 a.m. to noon and Nov. 26 from noon to 8 p.m.
Julia Meyer, a fourth-year in business and economics and co-director of student affairs for USG, said she was one of the several out-of-state students who gave personal insight when the project was being created.
“Last year, and in previous years, we’ve noticed that on top of our expensive flights, we’d have to pay at least $30 for a Lyft each way to the airport for literally a 10-minute ride,” Meyer said. “Which we thought was pretty ridiculous that out-of-state and international students have to pay for this.”
Although the shuttle was originally created with a focus on out-of-state students, faculty and staff are also encouraged to take advantage of the resource, Amay Kamath, a third-year in neuroscience and deputy director of student affairs for USG, said.
“For a lot of students who live out of state or are traveling over break, it’s kind of their mode of transportation to get out of the state of Ohio,” Kamath said.
Prior to the integration of USG’s airport shuttles, one of the only ways for students to get from campus to the airport was the COTA bus, which doesn’t have a direct connection, Kamath said.
“I think that the airport shuttle is truly just a way to continue building our community and allowing us to have easy access to a gateway that allows us to get home,” Kamath said.
With approximately 18,500 students at the Columbus campus claiming residency outside of Ohio, according to Ohio State’s 2022-23 statistical summary, Kamath and Meyer said the process of getting students home inexpensively is an important issue for USG.
“[The shuttles] are really convenient [and] reliable,” Meyer said. “I had the opportunity to ride one last academic year and it was such an easy experience.”
Moving forward, Kamath and Meyer said data will be collected from the previous fall break and the upcoming Thanksgiving break on how to improve the program for Ohio State students.
“I think the end goal is to promote an easier, efficient way for students to get to the airport,” Kamath said. “Maybe in the future there would be other initiatives or this continues because this isn’t just for students now, this is also for students in the future.”
