Some students left stranded by communication and organization problems with Pilot Express
By Gao Na Yang
When freshman Alyssa Oue was planning her winter break, she chose Pilot Express as her ride back to UP. She caught a red eye flight back from Hawaii and looked forward to a quick trip back to her dorm room, where she could peacefully rest. After 45 minutes of waiting and three unanswered phone calls to her Pilot Express driver, Oue hailed a taxi.
"I was a little frustrated because I was tired," Oue said. "I just wanted to go back to my dorm to sleep."
She trusted the service to be reliable, but Pilot Express fell through.
While there's no evidence most students who use Pilot Express have problems with the service, even the student who runs it admits it could be better.
Pilot Express is a transportation service provided by the student government, ASUP. Pilot Express charges $3 for a one-way trip and $5 for a round trip.
UP provides two rental vans that travel to and from the airport and Union Station. It runs during students' departure and arrival periods during fall break, Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break and Easter break. Sign-up sheets for Pilot Express drivers and passengers are available in the Student Activities office two weeks prior to breaks.
There are problems during every break, said Pilot Express director Vasant Vuppuluri, a UP senior. Communication and organization could be improved, he said.
After students sign up to be a passenger or driver, Vuppuluri e-mails the schedule to drivers. That is the extent of communication between them.
While drivers have passengers' contact information, passengers have no way to contact their drivers. Passengers aren't able to inform their drivers about delays or alternative arrangements.
Sometimes drivers oversleep. Other times, passengers make other arrangements without informing the drivers, Vuppuluri said. When flights are delayed, drivers' schedules are also affected.
Vuppuluri said he's committed to solving any problems with the service.
"When students pay for rides, it's my obligation to make sure they get their rides," Vuppuluri said. "Everyone working here for Pilot Express is working very hard to improve the quality of service."
The conflict in Oue's case was due to miscommunication between Vuppuluri and the driver, a UP senior. Vuppuluri said he forgot to include the driver in the e-mail list. He does not blame the driver for the problem.
Although Pilot Express is convenient and inexpensive, a few passengers found the service to be a hassle.
Freshman Kylee Green relied on Pilot Express three times and it failed her twice.
Green was also scheduled to return to UP on the same ride as Oue during winter break.
"I was really frustrated," Green said. "I was thinking about it when I was really upset and was like 'I'm never using it again.'"
In addition, when she returned from Thanksgiving break last fall, her driver also neglected to pick her up. Green called Vuppuluri, who then called the driver. After receiving Vuppuluri's call, the driver called Green to inform her that he had overslept.
"Students are counting on the drivers," Green said. "If they sign up, they need to be there."
In another case, senior Joseph Tanner, a driver, was late in picking up a student. He admitted the delay was his fault.
"I actually read the calendar wrong and I got the days messed up," Tanner said. "I was late, but it worked out and the student got there in plenty of time."
Drivers get paid $10 on a per-run basis. If they neglect to fulfill their responsibilities, they don't get paid. There are no other repercussions, according to Vuppuluri.
The Student Activities office judges Pilot Express complaints from student passengers on a case-by-case basis.
If Pilot Express is at fault for students missing their rides, the Student Activities office will reimburse students for taxi fares as long as they provide a receipt.
Oue and Green did not receive a receipt from the taxi driver, so they were not reimbursed.
While passengers have complaints, drivers also have frustrations with passengers.
Senior Craig Horton worked as a driver for Pilot Express during last Thanksgiving break. His shifts consisted of successful runs and time to meet new people. But he also had no-shows.
"The only problem was for the second shuttle, one of the people didn't show up," Horton said. "I contacted them several times, but I never heard back."
Although four other students were scheduled for the same ride, Horton waited for the missing passenger at the airport.
"We don't want anyone stranded at the airport," Jillian Smith, Pilot Express adviser, said. "We just want students to get back to campus safely."
Senior Jeff McLean worked as a driver for the first time last winter break. The majority of his trips were successful, but he was also frustrated with no-shows and delayed flights that affected the rest of his Pilot Express commitments.
"Sometimes people canceled and I didn't know about it," he said. "There was one person who didn't show up for every three trips and I made 15 trips."
Delayed flights had McLean anxious about making his next appointment. He waited over 25 minutes for the students and was late to pick up other passengers. He couldn't just leave the passengers, so the chain reaction of unfortunate events affected everyone, he said.
McLean said that the lack of communication between drivers and passengers is a problem.
"I don't see why drivers and riders can't exchange information," he said. "It would be helpful so that we'd know if they cancel or had delayed flights."
Calling is a possibility and an option, Smith said.
Vuppuluri and Smith are working together to improve organization and ensure better experiences for students.
"The director definitely wants the service to be efficient," Smith said. "It's a good service for students."
Despite bad experiences with the service, Oue and Green will consider using Pilot Express again. Oue hopes to have better communication with her driver next time by confirming the arrangement.
"My first experience was ruined because they didn't show up," Oue said. "But I'll try Pilots Express out again because it's easier than booking someone else to get a ride to the airport."
