Two student groups are calling to create a free, once-weekly shuttle to ferry students back and forth between campus and grocery stores in Northeast Minneapolis, the Minnesota Daily reported last week.
According to the plan’s proponents, the shuttle would operate in a similar way to the Campus Connector, but it would run only on Saturdays.
It remains unclear who precisely would pay for the shuttle program, but the costs would likely fall to the Minnesota Student Association’s Infrastructure Committee or a third party group.
MSA’s Infrastructure Committee has been discussing the shuttle program’s viability with the Student Nutrition Advocacy Council. According to Amogh Kambale, an MSA committee member, the campus’s lack of a grocery store has attracted attention for a long time.
Kambale said some have called the University of Minnesota area a food desert.
Until TargetExpress opened in Dinkytown last year, there was no convenient way for University students to access nutritious food near campus. However, even Target’s inventory is limited, and it may not be the most convenient option for students who live farther away from Dinkytown, such as those on the West Bank.
With this in mind, we support the creation of a University shuttle. Not only would this help students without cars access the food they need, it would also allow students with cars to take advantage of a greener alternative than driving and a cheaper alternative than riding the city bus.
We encourage MSA to consider how to fund a shuttle program like this one.
