Some UTAustin students who live in Riverside have struggled to get to classes this week because of delayed CapMetroATX shuttle buses. | seippetc
Dottie Watkins, CapMetro’s chief operating officer, said there was a glitch in the app and that the 670 was still running, although buses arrived about once an hour rather than the usual 15-20 minutes.as part of the reason buses have been delayed as classes returned to in person this month. Watkins said CapMetro has increased pay to attract new employees and that about 60 drivers are currently in training.
“If we miss the bus, then we get penalized, and our grades suffer because of it,” she said. “And it’s just plain discrimination because it’s not up to us, we are not making these conscious decisions. We are affected by the decisions of the university, of the city, and we’re expected to carry that burden.”
“I'm specifically tired of low-income and oftentimes people of color at the university not getting the same access to resources as our wealthier white peers,” Sanchez said. “I feel like there's a complete lack of support to people that live in Riverside.” “We made a mistake and we know it impacted their lives,” Watkins said. “We know we have to do better, and we've already taken steps to make sure that we do better going forward.”from Executive Vice President and Provost Sharon Wood that asked faculty to provide “flexible accommodations” to students when classes resumed.