During the summer, the University Shuttle Service takes a break along with the recently vacated students by shutting regular service down and exclusively providing charter services.

The service also uses the time to review and repair itself with three new shuttles arriving in June, said Aaron Kane, parking and shuttle manager.

Shuttle supervisor Fred Smith said the buses cost $360,885 altogether. They were paid for with money that is set aside every year for the purpose of replacing buses at around $66,000 a year.

New shuttles will be replacing two of the old shuttles, including one the University started using in 1999.

Smith emphasizes the wear-and-tear buses take as they age.

“A school bus itself would only last about 10 years,” Smith said. “We are comparable to five or six school buses each day with the mileage we put on our buses.”

Four routes run during the regular school year, with each bus putting on 200 miles a day. Smith said the buses put on a combined 5,000 miles every week.

“We drive from Bowling Green to Los Angeles and back, every week, at 15 miles per hour, if you add all the miles I put on those buses in a week,” he said.

Smith said the new shuttles will not be too different from the others, but there are some key changes such as the placement of an engine in the back of the bus instead of the front.

“We won’t have people tripping over the dog houses anymore,” he said. “If you’ve ever been [on a bus] or sat on it for any length of time, you’ll see people trip over the engine car.

“They will drive a little bit better in the weather because the weight is over the drive axle now instead of the steering axle,” he added.

The Art department is helping the change by designing the University insignia that will adorn the buses, marking the first time the service has worked with the department.

“I think they’re going to be, aesthetically, far more pleasing,” Smith said. “They’re not quite so “school bus-ish” anymore.”

Some students, including junior Brett Minor, said the old buses worked just fine.

“I don’t see the point in getting new shuttles,” Minor said.

“These shuttles look pretty clean for being buses.”

Ben Alguire, a senior at the University, said the addition of shuttles could help reduce the number of cars and gas usage at the University.

“It will attract more people to ride the buses, which would help universities be more environmentally sound,” Alguire said.

According to Smith, the look and upkeep of the bus helps project a positive image of the University during charters, particularly during admissions trips for potential students and their families.

“We’re the first thing (admissions groups) see on campus,” he said. “When you’re in school here, we’re here all the time, then when you come back as alumni, we’re still here. Nobody else on campus can make the claim that we deal with you through all three phases of your career with the University.”