One millionth passenger gets campus surprise

The Transportation Services division of the UCCS Department of Public Safety recognized its 1 millionth shuttle bus passenger Tuesday.

Freshman biology student Chris Jones was greeted as he boarded the bus by Russ Wilcox, transportation services supervisor, Public Safety, and William Whitfield, parking and transportation manager, Public Safety.

Wilcox and Whitfield presented Jones with a UCCS Mountain Lion shoulder bag, a UCCS Bookstore gift card and a VIP certificate. Jones is a freshman and a recent graduate of Fountain-Fort Carson High School. Jones was escorted off the shuttle by Wilcox and Whitfield and awarded with a private ride in a campus Toyota Prius to the 4-Diamonds Sports Complex parking lot.

Posters featuring Jones as the 1 millionth shuttle bus passenger will be posted on the campus shuttles for two weeks.

The campus shuttle bus program continues to grow in ridership and reached the one million mark after seven years of service. According to Wilcox, current ridership is approximately 8,000 passengers per week. At the current pace, the two millionth passenger designation will occur in five years.

--Tamara Moore