The Off Campus College Transport student-run bus service recently introduced scanners on buses to ensure student safety and security.
Giovanni Torres, director of OCCT, and Adam Amit, the former Student Association president of Binghamton University, reintroduced the idea of using scanners to protect students’ well-being after it was proposed four years ago and discarded. Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose voiced support for the idea and even though only off-campus buses currently have this device installed, all buses are expected to have them within the next couple of weeks.
There are several reasons the scanners are being installed, but according to SA President Jared Kirschenbaum, safety is the main reason.
“The main purpose of using the scanners is to promote good behavior as an extra precaution,” said Kirschenbaum, who is also CEO of OCCT by virtue of being president.
Scanners ensure that the only people with access to the OCCT buses are students, Sodexo workers and people associated with the University.
According to Torres, the idea for the scanners was proposed before local resident Phil Calderon was charged with posing as a student, but it is just an extra precaution.
Another reason the scanners are being used is to figure out which routes are most efficient by tracking how riders use the buses.
“We are trying to figure out what routes are as close to what students need as possible,” Torres said. “Drivers only get together three times a year, so the scanners are a good way of calculating the usage of routes.”
According to OCCT bus driver Kenny Zhang, a senior majoring in biology, the scanners are a good idea.
“I like the scanners and feel that they are necessary because a lot of times Binghamton town folks get on the bus,” Zhang said. “In addition, we need to know how many people use our service, and maybe that way we can get more funding for our school.”
Students have mixed opinions about scanners. Some students like the idea of using scanners on the buses to promote their safety.
“I feel that scanners are beneficial because after what happened last year with Phil Calderon, I felt that security on the buses had to be enhanced,” said Robert Guerra, a senior majoring in economics.
Some students, however, like David Haiman, also a senior majoring in economics, feel that scanning the cards is unnecessary.
“It is not convenient to wait on the line and make sure your card gets scanned properly. It holds up the line and I feel that just showing your card should suffice,” he said.
According to Torres, each device from Datastrip costs about $1,500. Two more scanners are waiting to be installed and each scanner only takes about 10 minutes to install once they are received.
Torres warned students not to forget their IDs, as rules will get more strict when the program is fully implemented.
“Consider your ID your MetroCard,” Torres said.