Student Movement, Inc., an off-campus company started by current BYU students, will transport students from select off-campus housing south and northwest of campus to campus beginning in January.
Two BYU seniors, Jake Luekenga and Kevin Smith, seniors majoring in public health and marketing, respectively, came up with the idea of a shuttle service early this year. They took the idea to Brad W. Farnsworth, their mission president in Spain and a former administrator at BYU. After working on suggestions, they pitched the idea again and Farnsworth said he thought it would work.
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“The second they said, ‘OK,’ we went ahead and ordered three buses,” Luekenga said.
The buses are 40 feet long or about the same size as UTA buses. They are different than the UTA buses because they use compressed natural gas.
“They are CNG buses so we’re really excited about that,” Luekenga said. “Not only are we taking students off the road, but we’re actually helping the environment quite a bit because it emits 50 percent less emissions than a regular vehicle.”
Another thing that sets their buses apart is the direct route from apartment to campus.
“It’ll run three times an hour from four major areas: Raintree area and Wyview area, as well as Glenwood/Alpine Village and King Henry,” Smith said. “It’s a direct route from their apartment straight up to the heart of campus, or the Museum of Art, which is the place that BYU has designated.”
The price of a shuttle pass is $99 per semester, but will be cheaper in certain areas.
“If you live at Raintree or Glenwood you’ll have a subsidized pass for $79,” Luekenga said.
Smith and Luekenga said they are keeping their prices as low as possible. They said having compressed natural gas buses will help keep rates low because gas is $2 cheaper per gallon.
Student Movement is trying to appeal to the students’ needs.
“We want it by students, for students,” Smith said.
Each shuttle will have LCD screens that run movie clips and local commercials.
“Business on campus, party on the bus,” Luekenga said. “That’s how we roll.”
Student Movement is hoping to expand with more buses and more stops.
“Our next area will probably be in the Branbury and Carriage Cove area,” Smith said. “We definitely want to end up expanding and covering all of BYU for every student that lives far from campus.”
Smith and Luekenga are also planning on having grocery runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
A limited amount of semester passes can be purchased online at studentmovement.com. Students will use their BYU ID card as their shuttle pass.
