The SHUFLY welcomed William Toro as a new driver to its staff in August, and although he has been driving around South Orange for a few months, he is already working hard to accomodate students.
"I try to make it as easy as possible for students to use this service," Toro said.
Before Toro began working for Airbrooke Limousine, the company hired by Seton Hall for SHUFLY, he worked for a company in New York City.
Toro said he wants students and staff to know that "drivers do not write the schedule."
Students often complain that the schedule is confusing, but Toro said he wants the students to know that the drivers have no control over the scheduled stops.
Being on time to his next stop is imperative, he said.
"I have just enough time to get to each stop," Toro said. "I need to adjust my speed when driving to make sure I am at each stop at the correct time. If I am early, then I do wait for a few seconds so that all the students can make the SHUFLY."
Another driver, Yameen Ahmed has been a SHUFLY driver for over three years.
Ahmed said that the mornings are the most stressful because many people are commuting to the campus.
"I do this job, as a driver for the SHUFLY, because I like the students," Ahmed said. "They are always very friendly and I enjoy talking with them."
Currently, there are six drivers trained to be SHUFLY drivers and make the circle around campus and South Orange.
Students and drivers alike have a difficult time scheduling the SHUFLY times to match the appropriate train times.
Unfortunately, the SHUFLY does not base its stops on the times of the trains.
For example, although one train comes into the South Orange train station at 7:40 a.m. in the morning, the SHUFLY has to leave the train station parking lot at 7:40 a.m.
"That does not give the students enough time to run off the train and make it down to the SHUFLY," Ahmed said.
The SHUFLY costs $1 for passengers that are not residents of Seton Hall.
However, students and staff can purchase monthly or by the semester SHUFLY passes, which are explained in detail on the Seton Hall Web site.
SHUFLY stops include Farinella Gate, Seton and Madison, Ward Place Gate, Boland Hall, SOPD/Grove Park, Rite Aid, Pathmark, Ora Manor, South Orange Train Station, Rite Aid and the Seton Court Apartments.
On Saturdays, the SHUFLY stops at the Livingston Mall every hour and on Sunday stops are made outside Target every hour.
Samantha Toth can be reached at samantha.toth@student.shu.edu.
