After the transportation crisis of students not being able to board the bus on Aug. 27 students can now ride with ease. But not by swiping their rattler card. Now students can board buses by showing their rattler cards to the bus drivers.
The bus fee, being $1.25, was demanded for students to pay since their cards, new and old, were not working on Monday. Through student complaints and an email sent by Public Safety Coordinator Bernard Kelly, the situation is temporarily resolved. Starting Sept. 7 all students enrolled at Florida A & M University with a new rattler card will be able to ride the bus through the electronic feature of swiping.
Although the situation was cleared on Aug. 28, students made their voice heard in parking services by speaking with Kelly.
“If we paid our tuition, then [the bus fee] should already be covered,” said Kristin Sudduth, 19, a sophomore psychology student from Detroit.
Sudduth is one of the students who filed a complaint with parking services about the Rattler card situation.
Sudduth said since she was not able to use the bus, she had to wait around for three hours after finishing classes and catch a ride with a friend.
She was not the only one to file a complaint.
Sherielle Goldsmith, 19, a sophomore business administration student from Orlando said she went to the bus terminal with a few others and after one male tried his card several times, the bus driver claimed it might just be his card. But after several students tried their card, the driver asked that they pay since the card was not working.
Goldsmith did speak to Kelly and was told he would be emailing Star Metro and that it should be resolved within the hour.
Kelly said he did in fact send an email to Star Metro telling them to give word to the drivers to accept the Rattler card ‘as is’ for now. But some students feel more could have been done.
“There was not much they were doing to handle the situation. It doesn’t make any sense, we’re supposed to have free transportation,” said Doniella Johnson, 24, a sophomore biology student from Miami.
Kelly said the situation arose from poor communication through administrators at Star Metro. But on Sept. 5 a file of all new students enrolled will be given to Star Metro and starting Sept.7 the information will be in the system.
“We’re just trying to keep the students happy,” Kelly said.
Alfonso Menendez, Star Metro’s contract administrator was unavailable for comment on the situation.