Get on the Bus

Every Saturday a crowd of students gathers in front of Bruff Commons on the Tulane uptown campus. The orderly throng is there to take advantage of the free shuttle services for the Tulane community.

The Tulane University Police Department has added another bus to its shuttle schedule on Saturdays because the demand has been so great for the entertainment and grocery shuttle buses.

In this video produced by Ryan Rivet, shuttle bus driver Meltris Smith tells about the popularity of free shopping shuttle buses
operated by the Tulane University Police Department and students reveal their shopping priorities.

The entertainment shuttle, which starts at 2 p.m., goes to Lakeside Shopping Center and Clearview Mall in suburban Metairie, La. Beginning at 11 a.m. the grocery shuttle takes riders to Super Wal-Mart, Whole Foods Market and Riverside Shopping Center (with a Winn-Dixie) in uptown New Orleans. The entertainment shuttle's last pick-up at Clearview Mall (which contains the AMC Palace 12 theaters) is at 11:40 p.m.

"We make sure that they get to the mall safely, and we make sure that they get back home safely," says Meltris Smith, traffic/driver with the Tulane University Police Department. "Our job is to make sure that they enjoy themselves and have fun, instead of staying at home on campus and not doing anything. This provides service for them to enjoy their weekend."