With the exam period quickly approaching (Dec. 11-22), The University of Western Ontario is urgently seeking more volunteers, particularly those living in the south-end of the city, willing to drive students to and from campus in the event the London transit strike continues.
In a letter to the campus community, Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President (Resources & Operations), asks everyone to continue supporting Western’s transportation initiatives for students and employees during the transit strike.
If you have a valid driver’s license, there are three ways to help students in need who do not live within walking distance to campus.
Share a Ride:
Similar to a car pool, this website enables students looking for rides to connect with volunteer drivers. Heading into the exam period, use of this resource will be more actively promoted among students and the need for more drivers will rise accordingly.
To register as a driver, simply click on the Share A Ride link on the Human Resource Services website at https://www.uwo.ca/humanresources/.
Drive a Western Community Van:
This program uses rented vans driven by volunteers 25 years of age and older to transport students to and from campus between various pick-up and drop-off points located around the city.
Sixty volunteer drivers are assisting more than 1,400 students to get to campus each day. More volunteers are needed, particularly during the exam period.
Currently, the Community Vans operate four two-hour shifts daily from Monday through Friday. However, the vans will also operate on weekends during the exam period to accommodate students writing scheduled exams on Saturday, Dec. 12, Sunday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 19.
For more information or to volunteer as a van driver, e-mail transitvolunteers@uwo.ca.
Participate in Flag a Ride:
“Flags” identifying volunteers as a member of the Western campus community are available through Human Resources and also through faculty administrative officers. Placing a “Mustangs Moving Mustangs” flag on the vehicle’s dashboard identifies yourself to students as a person willing to offer a safe ride to campus.
To obtain your flag, speak with faculty administrative officers, Associate Vice-Presidents, or contact Human Resources at ext. 82194 or e-mail hr-communication@uwo.ca.
For more information on any of these initiatives, visit https://communications.uwo.ca/transitstrike/.