When Northwestern Psychiatry Program employee Barbara Sutcliffe went to buy her monthly shuttle pass, as usual, she was told by someone in line that the shuttle service would not continue next month.
NU announced it will end operations of the Metra Train Station Shuttle, which connects NU’s Chicago campus with several major train stations, March 28.
Because she works downtown, Sutcliffe, who works as a program assistant, relies on the service for her commute three days each week from her residence in northwest Chicago. Even then, she said she still has to wake up at 5 a.m. to get to work on time.
“It’s not life and death what I do,” Sutcliffe said. “But there’s hundreds of nurses that take the shuttle, and they have to be at work at a certain time.”
The shuttle services the Ogilvie, Union, Millenium and LaSalle Metra stations.
Sutcliffe said she takes the Metra to Union Station and transfers to the shuttle to make it to her work on time. After her shift, she catches the shuttle back to the station to take the Metra home.
She said hundreds of employees at the University, Northwestern Medicine, Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will be significantly affected, as they follow similar commuting routes.
Sutcliffe said NU’s Transportation and Parking Office neither consulted nor sufficiently notified riders. She said she emailed the office but received little information.
“The University said with the hospital, the labs, they all decided to cancel the shuttle,” Sutcliffe said. “Everybody decided, but nobody really asked us.”
Riders said they learned about the shuttle cancellation from various sources and at different times. Some, like Sutcliffe, found out while riding or waiting for the shuttle, while others working in Shirley Ryan AbilityLab said they heard from official sources. Some riders were notified in February, while others said they knew as early as December.
Sutcliffe said there has been a lack of clear communication between NU and its campus partners.
A University spokesperson said NU and its campus partners decided to discontinue the shuttle because it was “duplicative of service” already provided by the Chicago Transit Authority.
The spokesperson added that the CTA has agreed to expand service hours and reduce the number of stops between the train stations and campus. The spokesperson called the CTA “a great option” due to its lower fares and more flexible schedules.
“In the past, we have received requests to operate later in the morning or earlier in the afternoon,” the spokesperson said. “The private train shuttle operates only during commuting hours on business days.”
However, many shuttle riders at the SQBRC stop — which services the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center — said they are frustrated by the decision. They said CTA buses are unreliable and often delayed, making it difficult to get to work on time or catch their Metra trains home.
Haley Province, an M.D.-Ph.D. student, said she plans to start driving to school due to the change in service but is concerned about the added cost and heavy Chicago traffic during rush hour. Some riders also worried about the limited parking availability.
Sutcliffe said she is considering finding a new job because of the shuttle cancellation.
“The shuttle is probably more expensive,” Sutcliffe said. “Nobody cares how much we have to spend. A lot of people feel the same way.”
More than 2,000 shuttle riders have signed a petition to restore the service.
The NU spokesperson acknowledged that, for riders, it could “take some time to make the adjustment.” They said the University is aware of the petition, but confirmed that the cancellation is final.
“I feel powerless and frustrated,” Sutcliffe said. You don’t feel like you have a voice.”
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