USC shuttle to take students from campus to nightlife around Columbia
Students at the University of South Carolina have long been the backbone of nightlife in downtown Columbia — historically in Five Points, and now along Main Street and the traditionally upscale Vista Arts district. Trekking to and from campus to bars and restaurants around the city can mean a long walk, or an expensive rideshare.
Now, there is another option.
USC is offering late night shuttles on weekends to those popular locations, and is looking to expand after piloting the program last year.
On Friday and Saturday nights during the academic year, students can hop on a USC-sponsored bus that makes six stops on and around campus. It operates from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. during the fall and spring semesters. The stops are:
- The AD16 parking lot at the corner of Devine and Lincoln streets
- The Pastides Alumni Center on Senate Street
- The Hub apartment building at the corner of Hampton and Main streets
- Columbia Hall at the corner of Pendleton and Barnwell streets
- The Five Points Fountain at the corner of Greene and Harden streets
- The Blatt P.E. Center on Wheat Street
When students board the shuttle, they must show a CarolinaCard, a school-issued form of identification. They’re also allowed a plus one.
Brian Favela, the university’s director of parking and transportation services, said USC had to make sure the shuttle service could work financially. While students won’t have to buy a ticket to ride the bus, the service will be funded by a transportation fee already paid by all students. To pay for the bus service, the transportation department made underutilized services, including on-demand rides, more efficient. All in, the shuttle service should cost USC about $90,000 this year, Favela said.
“It’s a safer solution for our students,” Favela said. While there have been no issues so far, Favela said the buses have security present, and support from the USC police department, with officers “pretty much on speed dial.”
During the shuttle’s first semester, ridership was manageable, Favela said. Between 200 and 300 riders took advantage of the program per night. But now that the university has ironed out kinks and settled on a consistent schedule, it’s expected to grow.
The idea is to make it easier for students to “experience Carolina or experience Columbia,” and the nightlife and retail around the city is part of that, Favela said.
“We’re trying to get students moving around more without being so reliant on vehicles,” Favela said.
The shuttle is a revival of the university’s previous shuttle service that had abruptly ended, like many things, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Favela said that after the pandemic waned, no one gave much though about reinstating the program. But then he was approached by the university’s student government.
Former student body President Patton Byers told The Daily Gamecock, USC’s student newspaper, that student government wanted to bring back the shuttle because students wanted it, and were excited about it.
“It was their suggestion, and we supported it,” Favela said. Favela said he’s student-centered. Because they asked, he wanted to make it happen.
