Jerry Faltinek, West Texas A&M University’s director of support services, wants students to know about WT’s partnership with Panhandle Community Services to shuttle them to Canyon’s Walmart.
The Walmart shuttle runs every Friday. It picks up students from locations around the campus beginning at 2 p.m. and stays at Walmart until 3:30 p.m. There are currently no plans to add additional lines, although that may change if more people start taking advantage of the service.
“I had inquired about that last year, but the demand wasn’t there,” Faltinek said. “So, until ridership goes up, there’s no plan to add additional days.”
Faltinek claimed the shuttle program isn’t as utilized as it could be. He suspects one reason might be suspicions about shared spaces in the wake of COVID-19. Another theorized reason is the reputation of buses amongst Panhandle students.
“Yes, it’s not as utilized,” Falitnek said. “Pre-COVID. And I don’t really know why that is. I know there’s kind of a stigma that comes with public transit. And I’ve heard that some of that’s because of students who come from, say, large cities. Their viewpoint with public transit.”
The data backs up Faltinek’s theory. According to a 2016 study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, only 11% of Panhandle residents used public transit within thirty days. Faltinek used to run the shuttle service for WT but has since shifted to acting as a liaison between the university and community services.
“So, even though I don’t oversee a program anymore, I’m still promoting it because I still care about it, and I just want it to work,” Faltinek said.
Bus drivers like Frankie Watts make up the bulk of WT’s shuttle drivers. According to Faltinek, most of the drivers are retired and driving the bus for supplemental income. Watts said that he also does it to help students and see young people succeed. It’s an opportunity to guide students through their academic careers.
“You know, I had a young lady last semester that I’ve hauled, and I’ve gave her a lot of advice.” Watts said. “By the end of the semester she came up to me. She thanked me for being a big part of her life, you know. She said it would have been tough. If she hadn’t connected with me, you know.”
Before driving the shuttle for students, Watts worked for Pampa’s state highway department. Now, Watt’s and his wife work with their church’s youth program. Driving the shuttle gives Watts another opportunity to care for young people.
“Whenever a student gets on the bus, you don’t know what kind of day they’ve had,” Watts said. “And what’s been going through their life, you know. And just a ‘good morning’ may perk them up.”
In addition to the Walmart shuttle, shuttles run continuously around campus to get students to their classes. Students are encouraged to park their vehicles at the First United Bank Center and ride the shuttle to campus. The bank center is currently the only place on campus where students can park free of charge.
