In the spring, the student government plans to launch a pilot shuttle system to shuttle students from campus to the grocery store on weekends.
FSA Co-Director Erika Howard said the Food Security Agency ensures students have access to reliable and affordable food. A free grocery shuttle system will transport students to and from their local HEB store. FSA has partnered with Parking and Transportation Services to provide new vans and drivers to transport attendees to and from stores.
“Students can finally know that there are systems in place that allow students to feel heard when it comes to food insecurity, and that students can be assured that they will be protected. We are very happy to know that we can trust a university that will support us,” said FSA Co-Director Dutt. Duong.
FSA has not announced an official launch date for the shuttle. However, Howard said he plans to meet with PTS on Feb. 16 to further discuss the logistics of the service.
“(PTS) director Blanca Gamez is very passionate about this… She basically says, We are now in the process of implementing what we suggested to her. ” Howard said. “We want to raise awareness. The more students know about this, the more it can be used and helpful.”
According to , the shuttle van is wheelchair accessible. FSA Instagram post. This is important to Fabiola Amaya, a social work junior who said she wants a transportation system that can accommodate students with disabilities like her.
“(My friends and I) use MetroAccess, which is a transportation option for people with disabilities, but it's often not the most reliable,” Amaya said. “She has 30 minutes for pick-up and drop-off, plus time to actually spend on grocery shopping, so she needs a grace period of almost three hours. We hope this system can provide more flexibility.”
Howard said the pilot program will only provide transportation to on-campus students, but in a year's time, the shuttles will include students living in dormitories and off-campus residences. According to UT Austin's 2021 Food Insecurity Status report68% of food insecure students live off campus.
Duong and Howard both said they hope to eventually have the shuttle functioning daily and operating independently.
“It’s great to see people from all parts of campus come together for this mission,” Duong said. “I’m excited to see what kind of difference I can make not only at UT, but throughout Austin.”
