![[An airplane flying over Los Angeles International Airport.]](https://uscannenberg-uscannenberg-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/YVSSZKTQORGJFMAYUYNO7G5CNM.jpeg?smart=true&auth=d55dd2683fc1a7f4aaef0abeca55e7664e30a44c6d3db02e8da893676ac8ebbe&width=612&height=344)
It might sound too good to be true for students thinking of flying home for the holidays: A shuttle directly to LAX terminals will be provided for students free of cost.
Starting with the upcoming fall break, students will not have to beg their friends for rides to LAX or drain their bank accounts with ride-share services.
The Undergraduate Student Government has launched the pilot program SCÜP, a free, “safe and sustainable” shuttle service that will run from USC to LAX. The free service will be made available for the upcoming fall break on October 12 and 13 with a single pick up location on McClintock Avenue in between the football practice field and the track.
Carlo Di Bernardo, a senior studying transportation and engineering, and Sarah Stienecker, a sophomore majoring in political science, have been collaborating with professors and faculty to promote the launch of the shuttle with flyers around campus, social media posts and a new QR code that will direct USC students to the SCÜP website.
Di Bernardo has been working on this shuttle plan and hopes the shuttle can continually assist students in the future.
“The funding has been put out. There is a full plan for the entire year. So, it’s very exciting, and I’m really hoping that this is something that can actually last,” Di Bernardo said.
The shuttle will also be accessible to students with disabilities, with Gold Coast Transit supplying the 55-person buses to the university.
The buses are accessible to people using mobility devices and will be able to accommodate wheelchairs, scooters and similar mobility devices, according to Gold Coast Transit website. The SCÜP buses will be equipped with free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, comfortable seats and luggage spacing.
The driving forces behind the shuttle initiative are accessibility, safety and sustainability. The shuttle will be free to all students during academic breaks when trips to LAX are in high demand. In addition, the shuttles will have one SCÜP representative on each bus, helping with luggage and keeping track of how many students are on the bus.
“By having a capture of one fourth of the student population, we do estimate to cut about 17,000 pounds of [carbon dioxide] over 17 service days, which is environmental sustainability,” Di Bernardo said.
Stienecker, a Los Angeles native, recalled that upon arriving at USC she was surprised to find that USC transportation did not offer a shuttle service. She ended up spending hundreds of dollars on Ubers to and from her house, which inspired her to join Di Bernardo in his shuttle project.
“I was just really ecstatic to join the project and even more excited that it’s actually happening. All day, I’m just super excited that people can finally get their tickets and take part in this amazing project,” Stienecker said.