Northern Michigan University has launched a new Friday Shopping Shuttle that transports students to major retailers via Marq-Tran and returns them to several drop-off points on campus. The service began the first week of the fall semester, funded with some of the resources that supported the discontinued Wildcat Shuttle that previously operated Monday-Thursday on campus.
“The ridership numbers for the campus shuttle dropped off to the point that the cost per ride was not efficient,” said Mike Bath, chief of the NMU Police Department. “Some of that had to do with the increased number of bikes on campus, the price of gas and the new Wildcat Fit Zone, with some students opting to work out there instead of the PEIF. We looked at a Friday shopping run to help our international students, but we’re making it available to all students. Marq-Tran was awarded the bid.”
Bath said students who register through Disability Student Services can still get door-to-door transportation, as needed, and Marq-Tran continues to provide free rides on any Marquette County route to students, faculty and staff with IDs.
The schedule for the shopping shuttle is as follows:
3 p.m. and 3:50 p.m.: Leave Lot 9, located outside of Hunt/Van Antwerp lobby; drop off at Meijer/Walmart.
4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.: Pickup from Meijer/Walmart and return to campus, making the following stops:
- Lincoln Apartments (bus stop shelter on Lincoln)
- Woods/Spalding Hall (Lot 46/36 intersection)
- Spooner Hall
- Woodland Park
- Maple West (Main drop off area by the Woods in Lot 10)
- Lot 9