UPEI students living in Cornwall want Sunday bus to campus

A UPEI student who is living at the Dutch Inn in Cornwall is having transportation troubles on Sundays.

There is no shuttle or public bus service that day, even though more than 90 UPEI students are living at the location.

The university reached an agreement with the owners of the Dutch Inn to rent rooms to students because of housing need.

The only way those with a meal plan will be able to get their lunch and dinner, or study at the library is by adding another bus runon Sundays, says Niloofar Seifhesar a first year UPEI student from Iran.

"Most of us have a meal plan for sevendays of the week. So, we pay for that and if we want to have lunch or dinner we have to come on campus," she said.

Seifhesar has no easy or affordable way to get to and from campus on a Sunday and often has to take taxis.

"If I want to take two cabs, one for coming and one for going, it'll be $30 for one day," she said.

In desperate times, she has even asked strangers for a ride. She knowsit is risky, but the cost for cabs is so high.

"Sometimes somebody drives me, but sometimes no," she said.

Walking to campus

In the summer she tried walking to campus.

"It takes about one hour," Seifhesar said.

UPEI is coming up to final exams for this term and Seifhesar said she wanted to get to campus to be able to study.

"In library it is more comfortable to study," she said.

Seifhesar said it would be great to have a bus service in place during exam time, but she would like to see it all year round.

New year, new bus route?

Mike Cassidy from T3 Transit said students have asked his company and the university for Sunday bus service from Cornwall to UPEI.

In a written statement sent to CBC, officials with the university said T3 and UPEI approved a month-long trial period in the new year, with the university covering the cost, to see if running a bus on this route on Sunday on an ongoing basis will be feasible.

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