For years, Wichita State officials have heard complaints about the parking spaces. Matters have only gotten worse with the recent construction.

University officials intend to make parking for students, staff and faculty much more convenient by offering shuttle service from parking lots at the Hughes Metroplex at 29th and Oliver streets to Duerksen Fine Arts Center, Elliott, Grace Wilkie and Hubbard halls and the Marcus Welcome Center.

“For those for whom parking is such a problem at Wichita State, I think this is a great way to go,” said Barth Hague, chief marketing officer and associate vice president for University Relations.

Last week, busses began running from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and picked up students, staff and faculty and took them to the five different campus stops on the main campus. Shuttle users wait seven to 10 minutes for the next bus to arrive. A Round-trip ride takes about 30 minutes.

Earlier this month, WSU finalized a three-year contract with Overland Charters, a Motorcoach charter company that has been in the business for more than 16 years.

“Their price was good, it was not as expensive as some of the others,” Hague said. “We really liked their vehicles, partly because of the turning radius … but a major reason why we liked them is because of their handicap access.”

The Overland Charters shuttles have wheelchair ramps rather than lifts, which can be folded and unfolded faster, Hague said.

The charter company is located just a mile-and-a-half up Hillside Street in case any busses need maintenance, which is another advantage, he said.

The busses can fit up to 37 passengers, seated and standing. Seats line the exterior while bars are available to grasp while standing in the interior.

On the first day of fall classes Monday, the busses shuttled about 313 passengers over 12 hours. That averages 26 riders each hour.

“They’re nice and clean and comfortable,” junior Dennis Payne said. “I knew it would be hard to park this afternoon and I hate hunting for a parking spot. It’s just easier to go up there and take the shuttle.”

Ease seemed to be the common reaction from students riding the shuttles on Monday. Hague agreed.

“You can’t just get out of your car and be in class in three minutes,” he said. “But with a little bit of planning, you can probably be much closer to your classroom than you could be if you parked on campus. That’s the beauty of it.”

For now though, there isn’t much beauty in the shuttles.

The vehicles are a 2004 model, so they’ve racked up nine years of mileage. But to get the busses looking Wichita State official, they will soon be “vinyl- wrapped.” Hague suspected that will happen in about four weeks.

Each of the campus and Metroplex stops will also be decorated with shelters for passengers to take cover from bad weather. However, Hague said the stop at Hubbard Hall, will not get a shelter because Perimeter Road will likely change locations after one year due to the new residence halls. That stop will also change locations.

One concern senior Molly Blake considered was the lack of security.

“They don’t check for I.D. or anything, so random people can use it, so it’s not really just WSU,” she said.

Hague assured students that university police will patrol the Metroplex parking lot, just as they regularly patrol the campus. He is confident safety will not be an issue on board the shuttle due to the fact that drivers don’t check student identification.

Within the next couple of weeks, Hague will be working with the university’s athletic department to work out a contract that would transport basketball fans to home games from the Metroplex.

Blake is hoping stops at Eck Stadium will also be considered in the contract.

“When I go to baseball games, I had to park all the way over by Hubbard and then walk all the way over here,” she said pointing to the baseball field. “That was a pain.”

The shuttle experience is new to everyone on campus, Hague said, so any kinks will be worked out over time. In order to improve the shuttle service, WSU is inviting rider feedback on their official parking website at wichita.edu/parking.

But for the first few days of classes, Hague was happy with the turnout.

“We were surprised at how much this was being used,” he said. “They weren’t out of spaces at the Metroplex, but there were a lot of cars there.”